2007 Red Splash Wine, St. Francis Winery, Sonoma

When Angela graduated with her B.A. degree in English in May, her dear friends conspired with Joe on the perfect gift. A romantic dinner at a favorite restaurant was an obvious choice, and one of our favorites is Stevens in Gurnee.

While we were there we ordered a bottle of the 2007 Red Splash wine from Sonoma County. Joe describes it this way: "A blend that is familiar to Bordeaux fans, this is a marriage of  full-flavored Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Zinfandel. It's bold, fruit forward and spicy."

The label is fun: each bottle shows a different splash design. We wanted to say that it is a high quality, affordable wine, but what is the price? Looking up the retail price online, we found that due to overwhelming demand, they are back-ordered and there is no pricing info. But since we paid about $20 at the restaurant, it would be about $10-$13 retail. Budget-friendly deliciousness.

Because Joe had a stuffed pork chop with Italian pepper sauce, and Angela had a trio of tenderloins with toppings of blue cheese, horseradish, and Cajun blackened spice, the wine was a perfect counterpoint of fruit and spice. There is a reason why this wine is back-ordered; pick it up if you can find it.