One for the tub: Sagrantino.

I have never been one for fads (and I'm not athletic enough to jump on the bandwagon), but I have always thought the '100 Grape Challenge' (1GC) is quite an interesting concept and a harmless sidebar to one's personal wine knowledge and enjoyment.  The 1GC is perhaps a decade old now and whilst I have never formally bothered to document all the different grape varieties I have tried over the years, the idea of the 1GC is always in the back of my mind when I try a new grape.  I have just added another variety to my personal list.
The Sagrantino grape hails from Umbria in central Italy: it is a intensely pigmented grape which produces a deeply coloured wine.  Sagrantino, and the wine that is produced from it, was new to me until I tried a bottle of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards, (yes, the same Jacuzzi's who brought the world hot tubs and spas), 2011 Sagrantino, Tracey Hills (San Joaquin County, CA).  The wine was heady and luscious, but at the same time mellow and silky.  The nose was delightful.  On the palate lots of blackberry and black cherry abounded with an almost sweet, tongue-pleasing fatness to the mouthfeel.  The Sagrantino surprisingly held it's own against Thud's spicy-sweet goulash (served over gigli) and quickly disappeared from the dining table.  Hate when that happens, but the wine was a hit with everyone.  Now, I have to try the Italian version.

What wine goes with...No. 6.

...goulash?  This one is fairly easy:  I'm pairing a spicy beef goulash with a Napa Valley Syrah.

A gift from the grower of the very vines that make up this Syrah (crafted as a homage to the wines of the Northern Rhône), this bottle of Phoenix Ranch 2005 Syrah was a more than worthy contender for this particular food pairing.

Redolent with dark berry fruits and hints of dried herbs, the wine partnered successfully with the goulash as it complemented the dish's spicy-sweetness whilst adding an earthy element all of its own (beyond that of the paprika).  A surprisingly, racy acidity ensured the pairing remained lively until the last morsel of food, and drop of wine, had disappeared.

Good job Phoenix Phamily.

True Wine Lover 5.

It is hard for me to give the French credit for much of anything. However I must doff my cap to, the one and only, Louis XIV. If not for his penchant for an obscure Hungarian dessert wine, the rest of us would not be able to readily enjoy a snifter of fine amber coloured Tokaji. Thank goodness he made a point of pouring it at his court, thus initiating a fashion for this varietal that Vinogirl would eventually benefit from.
Last night brother Thud cooked a fabulous goulash for family OTW, Vinomaker and me. We paired it with several truly wonderful Napa Cabernet sauvignons. For dessert we had a wonderful Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonoyos, (accompanied by a Key Lime pie).  It was delicious.
I am not going to review this varietal, just recommend that you drink it from time to time.  It would be worth your while.  Even Pope Pius IV quipped: "Summum pontificem talia vina decent!"  Worthy indeed.
So, vive le Roi Soliel...or at least his taste buds.