Wine of the Week: 2010 Kontokosta Merlot

Still floating along on the great memories (and bubbles) from our North Fork wine tasting trip, we find ourselves trying to relive it with sips of wines we picked up along the journey. As I wrote before, our afternoon at Kontokosta was simply amazing and so memorable, from the scenery to the wines to the people we met. We’ve been slowly opening the bottles of wine we purchased that day, choosing special at home date nights to sit and savor.

One of those nights was the perfect night for grilling and chilling. We sat on the patio, grilled some salmon with BBQ spices, and pulled the cork on a bottle of 2010 Merlot from Kontokosta.

Merlot is SO great for barbecues. This wine’s soft, fruity notes open up to become more intense, think stewed cherries and blackberries, with a little bit of herbs and spice mixed in. These fruit and spice notes pair very well with the smoky flavor of grilled meats basted in sweet, spicy, sticky sauces. We drank this Merlot after it had been chilled in the wine fridge, then popped in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Merlot can be great with a little bit of a chill, making it fit right in at your Summer feast.

What wines or 4th of July cocktails do you plan on serving up?