Open that Bottle! for #WinePW

This month, for wine pairing weekend, we were given the opportunity to Open that Bottle.  You know, the bottle of wine you have in your cellar, cupboard, wine fridge, basement, wherever...that you are saving for a special occasion that never seems to come.

We always have one of those special bottles in our wine fridge, except for this month....well, we do but I don't want to open it....Let me explain.

Our very favorite wine is a Cabernet Sauvignon from Caymus Vineyards.  We first had this wine when we were celebrating our first wedding anniversary.  We have had it each anniversary since and sometimes in between because we are blessed with lovely family and friends who occasionally gift us this wine.  I opened one of our bottles last month when our theme for #WinePW was Romance.  We do have another bottle that we recieved from Frank's sister as a Christmas gift but it just seems too soon after the last bottle to break this one open so I am going to save it for our anniversary in May.

That left me with the "open that bottle" theme.  We have lots of bottles in our wine fridge that we haven't tried yet.  We got a case of California wines from my brother and his wife for Christmas.  We got 6 bottles of Bordeaux from our youngest daughter and her husband for Christmas.  We got another 15 bottles of wine as gifts for Christmas.  Every time we host a dinner party we are gifted with wines.  This past weekend we had our After Dive party with the group that went Scuba Diving in Statia with us and we were gifted not only several bottles of wine but also this great wooden sign from the Island.

I love this and I cannot wait to hang it up near our bar.  One of the wines that we were gifted at this party was purchased at a very small, local winery in the equally small town of New Baltimore, Michigan which borders our even smaller town of Fair Haven, Michigan.

I have not, as of yet, visited this winery called Washington Street Wine House and located...wait for it.....on Washington Street.  I do need to get over there though and learn a little more about their wines.  I don't know where their grapes are grown or anything about their winemaking.  Our friends, the Saffords, told us that when they went to get this bottle of wine the place was packed.  There was a baby shower being held at the winery and there was a winter festival going on in town, so they simply told the proprietor that we like a dry red and were given this bottle of "Scandolous" for us to try. It is a Cabernet/Merlot blend and I decided that this is the bottle I would open for today's event.

Now, I have a confession to make....I talk really big about buying local and supporting small business.  I visit wineries when we go up north or to the west side of the State.  I will definitely make sure that I stop by this store and support this local winery...but I have yet to meet a Michigan Red Wine that can compare to a West Coast, Australian, African or European Red.  Our growing season is just not long enough.  We make a decent white wine here in Michigan and our Ice Wines are some of the best dessert wines around but....in my humble opinion....the reds just are not hearty and strong enough for my liking.

That being said, I opened this bottle with an open mind.  I wanted to pair it with a lighter food because, as I said, in my experience Michigan reds are on the lighter side.

I decided to serve the wine with City Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Steamed Broccoli and Buttered Corn.  When we opened the bottle there was not much "nose" to note but a slurp found a fruity wine that was light in texture but not too light on taste.  Heavier than most reds I have had from Michigan but again I am not sure where the grapes were grown.  I am happy that we received this bottle of wine as a gift.  It reminded us that there is a winery right in our back yard and we are definitely going to stop by and learn more about their wines.

The Scandalous did pair very well with the City Chicken.  I was pleased with how the flavors complemented each other especially since I was not sure what to expect with the wine.  

So, there you have it.....I opened a bottle for the OTWB and though it wasn't a bottle that I had been saving it was a bottle that I hadn't tried previously.  I hope that counts....if not, let me know and I will force myself to open another bottle....I wouldn't want to break any rules LOL.

Be sure to check out these special pairings from my fellow #winePW bloggers!

• Culinary Adventures with Camilla paired Roasted Flank Steak with Goat Cheese and Caperberries + La Marea 2012 Mourvèdre 
• Tasting Pour is sharing Chenin to Sheepie? Brava Cava! #Winewpw #OTBN
• Pull That Cork served Crozes Hermitage and Braised Lamb with Puréed Root Vegetables for #winePW 10 
• Curious Cuisiniere paired Entrecote Bordelaise (Steak: Bordeaux Style) with Red Oak Vineyard Meritage
• A Day in the Life on the Farm served up Michigan Red with City Chicken
• Girls Gotta Drink is sharing A Priorat Wine Masterpiece: 1974 Scala Dei
• Vino Travels paired Fattoria dei Barbi Brunello and Pappardelle with Bolognese
• Grape Experiences is sharing Wine and Dine: 2012 Van Duzer Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and Chicken Breasts and Zucchini with Marjoram
• Wild 4 Washington Wine paired A Special Oregon Pinot Noir with Eastern North Carolina Inspired Ribs
• Rockin Red Blog is sharing Celebrating #OTBN on #WinePW
• Cooking Chat paired Avocado Chimichurri Beef Tenderloin with a Reininger Carmenere
• ENOFYLZ Wine Blog is sharing Friends, Food and Wine; An #OTBN To Remember #winePW.

 If you are catching this post early enough, you can join our live Twitter Chat on Saturday, March 14, at 11 a.m. ET, via the Twitter hashtag #winePW. If you’ve come to us after March 14, consider joining us for #winePW 11 focused on wine pairings for early spring vegetables hosted by A Day in the Life on the Farm on Saturday, April 11.