Knowing Friday would be a hectic day of work with some errands on the way home, I had the forethought on the previous evening to slowly defrost ribs that were leftovers from a dinner at Blue Smoke. In addition, there were the week's leftovers of mashed yams and some gratineed artichokes to round out the meal. As soon as the food was in the oven, I opened a 2000 Ridge Geyserville. A big, muscular wine with dark cherries, good acidity, rich and spicy. I can't think of a better wine to pair with the spicy sauced ribs. The alcohol is kinda high on this at 14.9%, but it was incorporated well in the whole package.
Last night, I stopped at the fish store for some shrimp. I came across a recipe that intrigued me using butternut squash and shrimp with pasta, and I planned that for dinner. In addition to the squash, that is roughly mashed when tender, I shredded our cooked, garden picked brussel sprouts and added them to the dish. Our wine was a 2004 Francois Cotat Les Monts Dames. Nice and crisp, lots of citrus, predominatly grapefruit, and minerals, showing complexity and the end of a glass begged for more. I'm patting myself on the back, as I selected well on these two nights.
Tonight, a 2000 Pegau will accompany me to dinner when I meet up with a few wine loving friends.