Wine Review - Colonia Las Liebres 2006 Bonarda

This is an old favorite I discovered last summer at a wine tasting in Oak Park at a restaurant that alas, has passed from the foodie scene in Chicagoland. I remembered describing it to friends as a "perfect 7:00 a.m. wine."

Now, I certainly don't recommend enjoying this wine (or any wine) that early in the morning if you're a nine-to-five type, like me. But when you get home, this is great to enjoy on a weeknight, with simple but satisfying cherry and cranberrry flavors. Higher than average acid, much lower than usual tannins.

The history of the Bonarda grape, and how it arrived in Argentina, is more than a little confusing. This article does an excellent job at sorting most of it out.

http://basicjuice.blogs.com/basicjuice/2005/06/will_the_real_b.html

There is definitely a place for wines you can just gulp and not think too much about, and this red from the Mendoza region of Argentina, can serve you well when you aren't preparing any food that's too challenging (frankly, the Parmigiano I am pairing this with is really overpowering the wine's simple but charming pleasures).

Purchased at Treasure Island (www.tifoods.com) for $8.71 (with tax).

Rating: 86 out of 100