Between Hubby’s classes two nights a week, my class one night a week, and both of us working long-ish hours, we’re lucky if we sit down to dinner before 8pm and even luckier if we sit down together.  Since we eat so late, our weekday dinners tend to be fairly simple—marinated chicken/fish/steak made on the George Forman grill, some starch or veggie, and a glass or two of wine (for me, since Hubby doesn’t drink).  Clearly, this means there isn’t a lot of variety in the food, but that also means that I like some diversity and personality in my wine.  Oregon’s R.Stuart & Co. 2007 Big Fire Pinot Noir looked like it could a wine to provide the variety I needed.

The Big Fire Pinot Noir (vineyard, snooth) comes with a screw top, although, unfortunately, mine was stripped.  I’m sure watching me figure out how to open the bottle was very amusing.  Let’s just say that I was becoming increasingly aggressive with the poultry scissors.  Finally, though, I was able to get the top off, and my efforts were rewarded with my first sip.

The wine was a medium-to-light ruby that resembled the color and intensity of cranberry juice.  On the nose, there were red fruits—mostly cranberry and plums, with a hint of strawberry—followed by a surprising, although not unpleasant, amount of spicy white pepper.  In the mouth, the spiciness was stronger than the fruit flavors, although the types flavors all matched the types aromas.  The wine could have used more body, as it felt little watery in my mouth, but, in general, the low tannins provided a nice counter to the spiciness, giving the wine enough flavor to be enjoyable. 

Is this wine worth a glass after work? Sure…you won’t be drinking anything out of the ordinary, but you’ll definitely have a decent, reliable glass of wine.  At $22 a bottle, the 2007 Big Fire Pinot Noir is a good wine to pick up and drink now, particularly as I don’t think it will benefit from any aging.  The wine would work well with a casual weekday meal like grilled chicken breast or a pizza, depending on if it’s an eat-in or order-out night. 

Overall: 3