Winter has come to visit with a vengeance. Freezing rain, sleet and snow all in the same day. At least it happened on the weekend, so hopefully by Monday the road crews will have enough time to get the highways and side streets cleared off. It’s a good weekend to stay inside and eat comfort foods, like chili and hearty soups. It’s a good thing we stocked up on wine, because if we get snowed in and have no wine things could turn very ugly quickly. We have a full freezer and pantry to go along with the wine so we’re in good shape for a least a week.

A few days before the cold front moved in, it was in the fifties and we were able to grill steaks on the grill. To go along with the steaks we had a salad and sautéed brussel sprouts. For the wine we tried a new bottle that came highly recommended. It was an Italian red blend from Puglia called Neprica bottled by Tormaresca 2011. It was a blend of 40% Negroamaro, 30% Primitivo and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. The alcohol content was 13.5%. The cost was great, under $10.

The wine was a dark red almost purple color in the glass with a subtle aroma not overpowering at all. It was a full bodied wine dry with berry taste and had a nice finish. It went very well with the steak. It was nice and smooth with no burning taste. I will definitely be buying this one again.