The Syrah grape gained fame in France's Rh??ne valley by infusing layers of fruit and an especially spicy backbone to that region's most famous blended wines. It's often bottled on its own in California, as our domestic grapes tend to be more lush and fruit forward than the vine's ancestors produced in the mother country. These basic characteristics make it a natural wine for pairing with a variety of red meat preparations. It shows an earthy spice backdrop to the berry fruit that will allow it to stand up and be noticed through considerable heat and/or seasoning of your main course.

This is yet another inexpensive, fun wine from Don Sebastiani and Sons' spinoff venture named the Three Loose Screws Wine Company. They formed to provide quality wines at everyday prices for the marketplace, and they accomplish this by buying and vinifying fruit, and often times finished wine, from other concerns and blending it all together. As far as I know, 3LS (as they refer to themselves), does not own any vineyards. They rely mostly on what is making its way through the producer's marketplace from year to year to augment whatever contracted fruit they have.

Born of price concerns and convenience, the wine has a screw cap. They want you to be able to snatch this up at the store and be drinking it five minutes later if you'd like, and, as the wine is meant to be drunk within months of hitting the shelf, there's no need for a cork that should go in a nicer bottle of wine. A nice red color with distinct purple highlights, the aromas reminded me of fall baking-cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger all swirled around the glass. The berry fruit is balanced with spice flavors that take on a snappy peppercorn edge in the mouth. Only the tiniest hint of Syrah's hallmark cherry flavor makes it into the mix, but with all the spice, soft berry impressions, and round tannins stroking my tongue I didn't miss it one bit.