With some unusually cold weather hitting us here in the Northeast this week, including the first blast of snow, my thoughts have turned rather decisively to hearty red wines. And one that comes to mind is a winning blend from the south of France that might be described as the wine equivalent of comfort food.
Domaine Gayda’s 2010 Figure Libre Freestyle Rouge is from the large Languedoc-Roussillon region, which is probably the most exciting in France right now for quality wines at affordable prices. I was reminded of that this past summer when I returned to the region and tasted a broad sampling of the wines, including many under $20.
The Figure Libre Freestyle, which sells for about $14 or so, is a blend of five grapes, including 60 percent syrah, 22 percent grenache, nine percent mourvèdre, six percent carignan and three percent cabernet sauvignon.
The wine over-delivers for the price and will be an excellent match for all kinds of red meats as well as pork and turkey. Dark berry fruit tastes are accented by subtle coffee and herb notes. Alcohol is 14 percent.
Domaine Gayda’s website lists several companies that import the wine to the United States. Received as a press sample.
Edward Deitch is a James Beard Award-winning wine critic. Find many more of his wine reviews and commentary on his blog, Vint-ed.com, and follow him on Twitter.