9 Red Wine Ideas For Any Date Night
Cheers to those summer nights that never end.
When you’re having that special someone over for the first time…
This selection of red wine will elevate your meal while adding a conversational spark to the evening. Consider the spicy Channing Daughters 2017 Blaufrankisch ($28), an Austrian varietal that has brambly black raspberry, plum, and peppery notes, ideal with Long Island duck.
Barrel-aged in French oak, McCall 2015 Pinot Noir ($30) features earthy and spicy flavors that beautifully complement pork, whereas filet mignon calls for a sensuous bottle, such as the full-bodied Lenz 2015 Estate Selection Merlot ($35), which is redolent of luscious black cherry and dark fruit flavors and traces of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
When you want to impress your guests…
Serve high-scoring wines with a special backstory to tell. Paumanok 2015 Assemblage ($55), a Cabernet Sauvignon–dominant blend aged in French oak, is crafted only during exceptional years and recently took “Best Red Wine”
in the 2021 New York Wine Classic.
Macari Vineyards 2015 Alexandra ($95), mostly a Merlot–Cabernet Sauvignon blend, explodes with rich aromas of blackberry, black cherry, and plum, along
with polished tannins and savory notes of balsam
on the finish.
Wölffer Estate 2017 Christian’s Cuvée Merlot ($100), named for winery founder Christian Wölffer, is made only in the great-vintage years from the estate’s oldest Merlot block. With velvety tannins, it’s rich and round, with concentrated black currant fruit.
When you’re chilling out at the beach…
Easy-drinking, un-oaked fruity reds—particularly those from sustainably farmed North Fork vines—are perfect complements to beach barbecues. Boasting violet aromas and blueberry and plum flavors, the wild-fermented Anthony Nappa
2018 La Strega Malbec ($29) is deliciously rustic, whereas the exuberant Bedell Cellars 2020 First Crush Red ($20) is a young-vine blend that’s aged in stainless steel and juicy with bright berry fruit.
Hand-harvested, wild-fermented, and unfiltered, Raphael Estate 2018 Merlot ($20) possesses soft tannins and aromas of blackberry and black olive.
The print version of this article appears with the headline: What to Drink?
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