Mourvedre/Monastrell

When thinking of what red wine to pick for tonight, there are obvious choices that come to mind, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese. Cab Sauv may be your favourite wine in the world that you can't get enough of but guess what? Bottle after bottle, you'll eventually get bored of it. Fortunately for you, red wine lover, there are plenty of grapes out there.

If you are a big Cabernet Sauvignon lover, then you'd totally enjoy a glass of Mourvedre ... aka Monastrell. It's a full-bodied, rustic red wine that was born in Spain. The grape is a notch obscure as a single variety wine but is often used as a blending grape in world famous wines like Chateauneuf du Pape. In fact, it's one of the major grapes of the Rhone region of France, alongside Grenache and Syrah.

So what does Mourvedre taste like? It's a meaty and full-bodied red wine that delivers an explosion of dark fruit, black pepper, thyme, red meat and flower aromas. In some regions like Bandol of France and Jumilla of Spain, Mourvedre tastes very gamey.

What foods does Mourvedre wine pair with nicely? Just like many other full-bodied reds, it needs rich meats to take care of the high tannin. Pretty much any fatty meat will do, beef ribs, pork shoulder or sausage, lamb and rabbit. There are also regional spices from Provence, France that may bring up interesting characteristics in the wine such as lavender, rosemary and thyme.

If you are a vegetarian, then you should try the wine with wild rice, lentils, and portobello mushrooms. Their flavour base will do wonders for any full-bodied wine. Add some black pepper and soy sauce on top and you are set!

If you'd like to try the wine, buy a bottle of Mourvedre at the ZYN liquor store in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, or shop online at ZYN.ca!