"Dale Williams" > wrote in message
...
> Monday we had dinner at some friends. He was cooking some Indian recipes,
we
> were asked to bring wine. I tend to opt more for beer, but I'll make do.
Seemed
> to me the best options were bubbly or offdry (and not an expensive bottle
of
> either); I decided to opt for bubbly. When we arrived, however, I started
by
> pulling out a 2002 Cline Red Truck. Jim is a mostly red guy, so I reversed
> usual order. Lighter-weight, soft, easy. A wine that could pass for a
simple
> decent Côtes du Rhône. Red fruit with a bit of grapiness, a little smoky
note
> to make a little more interesting. I wouldn't go searching, but ok for a
party.
> B/B-
> With a couple of curries, the NV Zardetto Prosecco Brut. Light and easy
bubbly,
> just a tad off-dry with white fruit and a touch of yeast. Not exciting
bubbly,
> but decent at standing up to the spice of the curries, and a bargain at
$9. B
>
> Tuesday Betsy was working, David and I had some turkey meatballs in gravy
his
> grandmother had made. The wine was the 1998 Marc Colin
Chassagne-Montrachet
> rouge. Fruit seemed light and reticent at first, and there were still some
> noticable tannins.Some air put some weight on the black cherry fruit, and
> developed a light hint of earth and mushrooms. Pretty decent. The next
night I
> ate at office before a meeting. When I got home that night Betsy and I
shared a
> glass of the red Chassagne. Tannins faded, still some freshness to the
fruit. A
> bit more of the mushroom/forest floor aromas. Not a great Burg, probably a
B on
> my easy scale, but a great deal at $10 from a closeout bin.
>
> Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
wine, B a
> good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party
where
> it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity,
accuracy,
> and certainly not of consistency
> Dale
>
> Dale Williams
> Drop "damnspam" to reply

I've done well with Chain of Ponds Novello Nero (Grenache Sangiovese
Barbera) with Tandoori. But the really legendary Australian wine with
curries is Brown Brothers Dolcetto and Syrah, served lightly chilled.

Kieran