The Brawn of Chilean Tannins and the Bleary-Eyed Benevolence of Beef

I'll admit, the last thing I wanted to do after a 4:30 wake up call this morning was come home and cook dinner. So as I pondered what to snack on before hitting the sack, I poured myself a glass of Maquis Lien, a beautiful '05 blend of Syrah, Carmenere, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec grapes, decided to munch on some Spanish cheese and call it a night.

That being said, when I wearily opened the fridge and saw that a boneless New York strip steak I'd forgotten about was still sitting there on the top shelf, just waiting to be thrown into a steaming and fragrant bath of imported Italian olive oil, I sprang into action.

Fifteen minutes later, I was happily devouring stalks of steamed asparagus, and a simply-salted, peppered and red wine-infused cut of beef, which paired perfectly with the rich fruit and substantial tannins of my latest Chilean discovery.

Thank you, Trader Joe's, for this savory and juicy bit of iron-filled goodness that ended a very long day. Thanks to Maquis Lien for showing me the magic that can happen in a glass when the South of France meets the Colchagua Valley and then introduces it to Meritage.