Last week we tried to watch Sweeney Todd on DVD. I say tried because our attempt lasted only about 7 minutes before we gave up. However, we did have the perfect wine with the movie--the 2005 Owen Roe Sinister Hand ($23.99, Mission Wines; available online for between $22 and $29)The label shows the left hand of Irish hero Owen Roe O'Neill. Legend has it that when sailing around the coast of Ireland, a band of warriors agreed that whoever landed first could claim the land for his own. Owen Roe O'Neill cut off his own left hand, threw it on to the land, and swam ashore to claim the land as his own.
If you can think of a wine more appropriate for drinking with Sweeney Todd, let me know!
Despite the macabre story, the 2005 Sinister Hand was a lot of wine for the money and very good QPR. It is a Rhone-style red made from Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, and Counoise. There were beautiful aromas typical of the dominant variety in this red blend (Grenache) including berries and herbs. There was also a smokiness to the aromas, which carried through into the flavors along with even more juicy berry. There was a long, lingering aftertaste and a smooth and plush feeling to the wine that made it seem luxuriant and rich. This was a very enjoyable wine, and a wine that was definitely worth the few dollars over $20 that it cost.
We had our Sinister Hand with BBQ ribs and a big salad. The smokiness of the ribs highlighted the nicely smoky flavors and aromas in the wine, and the sweetly spicy Grenache was a nice partner to the BBQ sauce.
If you're looking for a good wine to go with BBQed foods this summer, remember that Grenache is a perfect wine for grilled foods and that many Rhone-style blends have a healthy dose of Grenache in them. Pick up some Grenache, get yourself some ribs, pick another movie (!) and enjoy.
6 comments:
Thanks for the heads up on Sweeney Todd. I felt the same way about Antonement. What a miserable movie. This actually might be a theme for a new article? Best movie-wine pairings?
Love Owen Roe! My favorite of their offerings is the Abbot's Table which is also a blend of just about every red grape. They call it as a Claret. I call it a great value!
Hard to imagine swimming one-handedly! What a great story from a wine label. I haven't tried Sweeney Todd yet, but I am both intrigued and repulsed by the idea of it. I wonder if I can find Owen Roe in NJ?
Anonymous, our taste in movies is in sync--I didn't like Atonement either. Made it through about 5 minutes of that. Jason, our taste in wine is in sync! Love the Abbot's Table, too, but this was my first Sinister Hand. Diane, if you click on my price range link in the post, you will find that all of the results are NJ/NY area wine stores so I think you're in luck.
Dr. Debs, thanks loads for the tip! It's available very close by, actually. Think I'll pick up a bottle for the weekend. Cheers!
Let me know what you think.
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