What I'm Drinking: Sunfish! Sunfish! Sunfish Syrah!

Mmm...it's good! I finally picked up my wine club and I really wanted to try the Sunfish 2006 Syrah. There are a few reasons, not the least of which is that my awesome cousin called today and ordered some when neither of us had even tasted it yet!

I'm a four-bottle wine club member, because I like to try all four new wines each month. The Sunfish was the only one I hadn't ever tasted before, so the decision had been made. TWO reasons to drink it.

Third reason? (Ryan P. can vouch for this.) Fishing for fresh water sunnies - off a dock or standing in the water - is one of my favorite catch-and-release activities. I'm pretty good at it, if I do say so myself. It's the hunter in me, I think.

So, as you know, each of the wines come with a cool card with pairing suggestions, winemakers notes, and a recipe, often specially created for pairing with that particular wine. The Sunfish was no exception and the recommendations included turkey dishes, smoked cheeses, or vegetables prepared in sesame oil. The recipe was for a delectable looking Grilled Turkey Sandwich with Smoked Gouda. YUM!

Without going to Giant, the only things I had handy were the avocados, tomato, garlic, mayo and romaine lettuce. Not even close to being able to make the sandwich, which is embarrassing. It's a "work" night, so I couldn't spare the hour to run out for groceries.

But, I did have grilled chicken in the fridge and some zucchini and summer squash, so I tossed the veggies with some sesame oil, cut up the chicken, tossed the whole thing together and opened the bottle.

The agonizing over the food was unnecessary. This wine is FANTASTIC on its own. It's what I would call a "T.V. wine." You can enjoy it on its own, watching T.V. No need to pair it, it's still good.

Of course, it was still great with the veggies and chicken, but I'm so excited to find another yummy, easy wine I can stock up on and open up at any time.

This is one that the Fog Zinfandel lovers (sold out, folks) and the Broadmoore Merlot fans will really enjoy. If you liked the Villa Encantado Malbec, you'd appreciate this one, too.