A Perfect August Wine (and deal)

MCF Rare Wine

A Perfect August Wine (and deal)

So, this past weekend we were on the way back from a birthday party (for one of my five-year-old daughter's classmates) and, since we were out on Long Island, we stopped by my friend Kerry's place to stay the night.

He's one of my best friends from college and we hadn't seen each other in a very long while. He and his wife Jen have two boys about the same age as our kids and they'd never met, so we thought it was the perfect time for that to happen.

Plus they have a pool.

They're also avid readers of the newsletter and they (especially Jen) love light, refreshing reds.

So, when I put together a sixer to bring for the stay, the first one I grabbed was today's wine, the Valdaiga Bierzo 2012. It's about as perfectly cheerful a breezy Summer red as you'll encounter...especially at $12.

You know my fondness for the beauty of simplicity and, Kerry made one of my favorite Summer meals - well-seasoned boneless chicken thighs thrown on a hot grill alongside a variety of grilled Summer veggies.

It's clean, healthy and delicious...and it's oh-so friendly a companion to a wine like this.

The Valdaiga is produced by Perez Carames, the producer of this legendary MCF staple, and it's a wine I've carried numerous times over the years. The farming is organic, and it is just about as tasty and honest as you could hope for, even at the normal price of $17.

The importer, however, recently closed up shop and had the last 20 cases in stock. He offered me a nice price and I excitedly jumped on it, but was also a bit sad for the fact that it would no longer be available...at least for the time being.

But, either way, I'm not happy to offer this beautiful little glass of Mencia for $12 (just $129.60 for a case of 12 with the discount).

So, back to the dinner table, a glass of lightly chilled Valdaiga, with it's juicy, dark Mencia fruit, subtle peppery/green notes, mineral core and lively, refreshing acidity, danced perfectly around the spicy, charred chicken and veggies.

The conversation was, as it always is with old friends on a warm August night, lighthearted, genuine and comforting...

...kinda like the wine...