I love food. I love to cook. You already know that I love wine. For some reason when we moved to wine country about four years ago, I decided to really pick up cooking. I enjoy baking too, but cooking just has so much more freedom. It’s okay to make mistakes. And sometimes those mistakes are the best meals. Tonight’s meal was not a mistake, but rather a calculated success. At least I think so.
Let’s start with the meal…
Red wine marinated flank steak, parmesan risotto, garlic bread (made with homemade sourdough) and salad (not pictured). Pretty good start, I’d say. The flank steak was marinated all day in some Merlot, whole garlic cloves, salt, pepper, brown sugar, grill seasoning and cinnamon (secret ingredient) and then grilled. This is a variation of a flank steak I did a few weeks ago, but I liked what the cinnamon brought to the table with its warm, but not too sweet, spice.
When I cook, I usually have the wine in mind and then build the dinner around it. Tonight was no different….
I bought this wine (from the producer, Unti Vineyards, about three years ago and I remember it being very intense. The tannins (stringency associated with red wines) were way out of control. Given that characteristic, I knew it would age really well. Of course, I don’t like to wait too long.
This wine did not disappoint. The tannin structure had calmed down a lot, but it still had a weighty mouth-feel that counter-balanced the fatty character of the flank steak. It had good dark fruit, but not too much, and just a hint of oak. I had been waiting for the perfect meal and this seamed like a good one. It was very tasty and I highly recommend checking them out next time you’re in Dry Creek Valley.
After a long week in hospitality, I’m tired. So, goodnight. I wish you all good food, wine and company.
Cheers!
