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Big Red Blends

Red wine being poured
Red wine being poured. Photo by James Petts via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

A lot of wineries love single varietal wines, but some of the most interesting and affordable choices are big red blends.

The Wines

Price key: $ = less than $20 $$ = $20-40 $$$ = $40-60 $$$$ = above $60

Quality key: * = decent wine ** = very good wine *** = superb wine **** = elite

VALUE = exceptional quality for the money

Matthews "Blackboard" Red Wine, Columbia Valley '18 **1/2 $$

A very likable Bordeaux blend, full bodied with sweet fruit flavors.

Borsao "Cabriola" Campo di Borja '17 **1/2 $

A Spanish "Cotes du Rhone," garnacha dominated, vibrant.

Annabella California Red Wine , North Coast '18 **1/2 $ WINE VALUE OF THE WEEK

Very fruity and sweet Bordeaux blend, good for barbecue.

All of these wines can be purchased at Kenilworth Wine and Spirits.

Click on the links for direct ordering and home delivery.

Al Spoler, well known to WYPR listeners as the wine-loving co-host of "Cellar Notes" has had a long-standing parallel interest in cooking as well. Al has said, the moment he started getting serious about Sunday night dinners was the same moment he started getting serious about wine. Over the years, he has benefited greatly from being a member of the Cork and Fork Society of Baltimore, a gentlemen's dining club that serves black tie meals cooked by the members themselves who are some of Baltimore's most accomplished amateur cooks.
As General Partner of Clipper City Brewing Company, L.P., Hugh J. Sisson is among Baltimore's premier authorities on craft brewing and a former manager of the state's first pub brewery, Sissons, located in Federal Hill. A fifth generation Baltimorean, Hugh has been involved in all aspects of craft brewing.