I typically shy away from wine with Asian food. I don't know what it is about the flavors, but I usually decide that beer is the way to go. However, there are times you are just really wanting a nice glass of wine with dinner, even if you're having an Asian dish! Because of this, I starting researching what people recommend with Asian flavors. Spicy dishes are you usally told to pair with off-dry Riesling. For dishes with umami flavors (soy, oyster sauce, ginger, etc), I read that fruity and low tannin reds work well. Their specific suggestions were California Pinot Noir or Beaujolais. Based on this, I decided to tackle the wine section at Whole Foods while picking up my other groceries and came across this lower-priced Pinot.

The Facts
- Producer: The Path
- Region: California
- Vintage: 2015
- Variety: Pinot Noir
- Where I purchased: Whole Foods
- Price: $12.99
Cherry, cherry, cherry! While I've had some California Pinot Noir with darker fruit notes, this one was tart cherry through and through with some cola notes. There was also a hint of earthiness , but nothing like what you'd get from Burgundy or Willamette. It had a good weight to it, as I sometimes find Pinot Noir to be too light bodied and thin for my taste. As to be expected, there was lower tannin and bright acidity. I had to agree with the article I read that the fruit-forward nature of this Pinot went well with our soy-ginger chicken. While there are Pinot Noirs I prefer more than this one (see this post), the convenience of having a tasty, easy-drinking option at the grocery store we visit almost daily is nice and the price is right.
Rating:
