At home or abroad, find simple pleasures
During a recent stay in North Africa, our digs were located in the oldest part of an ancient city where alcohol of any sort is hard to come by. If we wanted a bottle of wine with our supper, we either had to hop a donkey to the modern part of town and eat in a hotel dining room, or ask the very accommodating young host of our riad to go to the trouble of bringing a bottle in -- something we found hard to do. As the wine-less days wore on, the modest cellar we left behind in Boston grew lavish in the imagination.
Later, sitting down to our first home - cooked supper in weeks with a bottle drawn from our very own cellar proved something of a thrill. Our conclusion: The pleasure of closing out the day with a simple glass of wine is easy to take for granted and hard to overrate.
With warm weather just a chilly night or two away, we remain focused on red wines this month: the kind we can enjoy with a warming bowl of homemade vegetable soup, long-simmered short ribs, or -- our current obsession -- a Moroccan-style chicken-in-the-pot featuring lemon rind cut into the shape of a tiny hand.
Don't be reluctant to buy these by the case, since you can count on any versatile lightweight to mid-weight reds to make a smooth transition to spring dishes, including Passover and Easter tables. All excellent value. Not having to straddle a donkey to sample them: priceless.
Raimat Costers del Segre Cabernet Sauvignon. Plenty of blocky, bright red fruit garnished with a dollop of loamy earth and brown spice; nicest edition of this label we've encountered. Around $10. At North River Wine & Spirits, Pembroke, 781-826-8060; Colonial Spirits, Acton , 978-263-7775 ; Wollaston Wines & Spirits, Quincy, 617-479-4433.
Jim Jim McLaren Vale Shiraz. Jim Jim is a dog, and my guess is he's one of those big, friendly, eminently lik able types that steals your heart with one wag of the tail. Ever meet up with a wine like that? Around $11. At Our Glass Wine Co., Saugus, 781-941-8068; Cambridge Wine & Spirits , 617-864-7171; Fifth Avenue Liquors, Framingham, 508-872-7777.
Cuvee de Pena VDP Pyrenees Orientales. A little wine that's perfectly to scale with some lovely earthy aromas and bright, juicy fruit. Don't let the bag-in-the-box format fool you; this is real deal wine at the equivalent of $4.25 a bottle. Around $17 for 3 liters. At Shubie's, Marblehead, 781-631-0149; Andover Liquors, Andover, 978-470-0500; Wollaston Wines & Spirits.
Rocca di Montemassi "Le Focaie" IGT Maremma Toscana. Nice mouthful of plump raspberry-ish fruit; a bit of richness with fine freshness and zip. Around $12. At Andover Liquors; Murray's Liquors, Newton, 617-964-1550; Gary's Discount Liquors, Chestnut Hill, 617-323-1122.
Vina Antigua Maipu Sangiovese-Bonarda. Fresh and lively with plenty of straight-up fruit, some pleasing vegetal notes and sleek acidity. Serve it with what you're having. Around $7. At Wollaston Wines & Spirits; Blanchards Wines & Spirits, Jamaica Plain, 617-522-9300; Wine Cellar of Silene, Waltham, 781-890-2121.
STEPHEN MEUSE
Stephen Meuse can be reached at onwine@comcast.net. 