Wine Corner Review #8: Fall Creek Ed's Smooth Red

My lovely wife the Rock Star and I have a confession to make: our favorite winery is not Latour or Petrus of France, a Napa boutique brand, or even Washington state's surprising and delightful Chateau St. Michelle. No, we reserve our top honors for a Lone Star Winery, Fall Creek in tiny Tow, Texas, hard by Lake Buchanan in the Texas Hill Country. There, winemakers Ed and Sharon Auler craft superb wines with a definite eye toward both QUALITY AND VALUE. In fact, most Fall Creek wines retail for under $10! (How do you wine snobs like them apples???) We recently returned home from the first Food Czar Roadtrip bearing boatloads of wine, including, I must confess, an entire case of our favorite winery's product. I thought I would introduce my readers (both of you) to this fine line via a superb meritage, Ed's Smooth Red, in which the winemaker literally issues a challenge to the would-be imbiber: Figure out what's in this bottle, I dare ya!

The robe of Ed's Smooth Red is a deep reddish-purple, not unlike that of a fine Ruby Port. The Rock Star and I put our heads together on the nose (ouch!) and decided that it smells like a combination of allspice and A1 Steak Sauce. The flavor is as smooth as a David Benoit or Al Jarreau jazz number with strong hints of apples. My guesses for the grapes? Hmm, I'm going with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and a touch of Zinfandel. (In the background, the Rock Star is concurring enthusiastically.) Since Ed issued us all a challenge to "guess the grapes," I'm going to issue you a challenge: taste it and decide for yourself what foods to pair it with. Why? Because we are enjoying sipping it by itself so much, we can't think of any pairings. Check out the Fall Creek line yourself at www.fcv.com, and remember:

LIFE IS TOO SHORT FOR MEDIOCRE FOOD!!!