Last Week's Tasting
Fish, Fowl, or Red Flesh, Vegetables too - Wines for the Grill or Smoker
May 28, 2025
We tasted two whites and four reds from Greece, Spain, Italy, Argentina, and Washington.
to go with anything that you might put on a grill or smoker
White
2023 Moropoulos Mantinia Moschofilero
This family winery, situated in the cool Mantinia region of Arcadia, 2,000 feet above sea level in Greece’s Peloponnese, produces this wine from the indigenous aromatic Moschofilero grape. Stainless steel vinification and lees contact produce a wine of refreshing acidity and dimension that pairs well with grilled seafood.
Aroma: Bright, pretty lifted and forward; Mouth: Clean, light, dry, good drive, fairly intense, bright acid for seafood forward; Very Good Plus $21; Case, $17.99
2022 Luigi Maffini “Kratos” Fiano Cilento
This is a stunning example of the Fiano grape, characterized by its crisp texture, vibrant fruit, and stony minerality. Like an unoaked chardonnay or Chablis, it will captivate you from the first sip. Pairs well with grilled, spice-rubbed shrimp, wood-fired grilled fish like sea bass, mahi mahi, tuna, or scallops basted with garlic butter.
Aroma: Honeydew melon, kiwi, lime zest, sea spray, crushed stones, and jasmine. Mouth: Vibrant, soft texture, packed with zesty citrus and mineral tones balanced with ripe orchard fruit. Amazingly, this wine is Luigi Maffini’s entry-level Fiano.
Excellent $26.99, Case $22.99
Red
2023 Argiano NC Non Confunditur
This renowned Brunello producer masterfully blends Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot to create a seamless, decadent red wine that pairs well with any grilled meat. This is because the Sangiovese drinks more like a Chianti, and the Cabernet and Merlot add weight and structure to pair with all cuts of steak, double-bone-in pork chops, lamb, sausage, spice-and-herb crusted chicken, and other barbecue recipes.
Aroma: Wild black & red raspberry, black cherry, cocoa, toasted brown spices with a hint of smoke & tobacco. Mouth: The wine is pleasingly free of the cloying heaviness or dense extraction found in many other Super Tuscan wines. NC is accessible and fresh, rounded off with a good level of crisp acidity and a well-proportioned body. Very Good Plus$23.99, Case $19.99
2022 Bodegas Muga Rioja El Anden de la Estacion
The El Andén de la Estación is Muga’s relatively new bottling. It's a stellar example of Rioja, offering some of the more complex stylings of a longer-aged Riserva with the youthful character one would expect from an entry-level Crianza. A blend of 70% Tempranillo and 30% Garnacha works together to hit all the right notes. Fleshy and still complex, yet easy to drink, refined, and both a great introduction to Rioja and one that will be enjoyed by those who are already fans of the wine. A great wine pairing for all meats cooked in a smoker, grilled over charcoal, or prepared in a barbecue style.
Aroma: Pomegranate, red cherry, raspberry, wild herbs, Mediterranean spices, and black pepper with a hint of vanilla. Mouth: Blackberry fruit, cassis, licorice, smoked spices, medium to full bodied, good structure, firm tannins, silky texture with a very satisfying finish. Very Good Plus $25.99, Case $21.99
2018 Secret Squirrel Cabernet Sauvignon
On the label, an earnest if a bit quizzical squirrel poses from behind an incongruously stylish red masque. The back label tells you that it’s from Washington’s Columbia Valley, but that is all.
We’ll fill you in.
It is pure Cabernet from Corliss, one of its better practitioners, that comes from their vineyards in Washington’s prime areas of Red Mountain and Walla Walla. Not too heavy or too full, it is poised above price and is spared from being tooearnest by a high-toned piquant note that will nicely match a spicy marinade on any red meat.
Color: vary dark; Aroma: heady and full, very full, reserved, heady, light oak; Mouth: very dense, thick, very full, smooth, fine acid full, good concentration, the herbal side of cabernet; Very Good - Excellent $28.99; Case, $24.99
2022 Catena D. V. Catena Historico 1910
Named for the founder of the winery, this is a modern interpretation of the blend their great-grandfather supplied to Buenos Aires over a hundred years ago. It's mostly Malbec, with some Bonarda added to soften and ripen it, as well as a bit of Petit Verdot, which lends a touch of tang. A rich and juicy glass of wine to complement and quench the bite of spicy ribs and marinades.
Color: very dark; Aroma: bright, forward fruity spice, herbal, nicely intense; Mouth: rounded leanish, herbal, somewhat spicy, and clean, zesty acidity, herbal; Very Good Plus $24.99; Case, $21.49
May 28 Grill case $259, 21.58 the bottle
Or mix your own, any twelve bottles at their case prices
Order by phone at 617.367.8605, or reserve here: Click to Order
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