2009 Sebastiani Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma County) & Sandeman Tawny Porto (Portugal)

As we go through the winter months I’m always asked what wines of value I like to drink. I like to drink a red wine or sometimes a Tawny Port, which is a nice way to warm up from the snowy, cold outdoors. One of my favorite red wines is the Sebastiani Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon, and I enjoy Sandeman Tawny Porto.

>>The Sebastiani Vineyards and Winery has been around since 1904 and is located just a few blocks from Sonoma’s historic downtown plaza. With over 100 years of winemaking experience, the winery focuses on crafting premium wines from the Sonoma Valley. This wine has won the best of show at the WVIZ wine tasting two years in a row.

I like the blend of 80 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 16 percent Merlot, 3 percent Petit Verdot and 1 percent Syrah, all grown in the Sonoma Valley. This blend from specific sub-appellations comes together to produce this well-balanced and complex Cabernet Sauvignon. This Bordeaux-style wine is an excellent drink to serve with marinated steaks, red sauce pasta, hamburgers or any grilled meats, and it pairs very well with chocolate. It retails for $19.99.

>> For Sandeman Tawny Porto, it all started in 1790 when a young Scotsman from Perth founded a wine business in London. George Sandeman bought his first wine cellar and started trading in Porto and Sherry. In 1811 he purchased an aging cellar in Portugal and started shipping Porto and Sherry all over Europe, North and South America, Africa, Asia and as far away as New Zealand. In 1877 the Sandeman brand became a registered trademark and is one of the oldest in the world. Sandeman was also the first wine company to market and advertise its wines. Its trademark logo was created in 1928 with a design by George Brown, an artist for the Lochend Printing company. The silhouette of “The Don,” dressed like the Spanish caballeros de Jerez in a Portuguese student’s cape and wide-brimmed hat, became the first iconic logo for wine.

This Tawny Porto has fresh flavors of red fruits with just the right complexity of wood aging with an excellent finish. This Tawny Porto is excellent as a chilled aperitif, as an appetizer or at the end of a meal. It retails for $15.99.

Look for these fine wines at many retailers in the Greater Akron area, such as West Point Market, Papa Joe’s, 750ML, Regency, Mustard Seed Market, Acme Fresh Markets, Buehler’s Fresh Foods and Giant Eagle.

/ Rick Rodger is a manager at Heidelberg Distributing Company.