You can't always judge a book by its cover...

You can't always judge a book by its cover...or a wine by its label.  Okay, I admit, I shy away from wines with primates, marsupials, or other furry critters on the labels.  They look cheap, and make me think the label is the only good thing they've got going on.  But, last night, the tables were turned, and the opposite happened.  I had a FANTASTIC wine with the WORST label ever!  I found a picture of the label online: 

Nothing about the beetle-like roach thing says "consume me".  Right?  But, I'm sure glad I did.  It was great!! 

I had the 2007, and it runs for about $25.  It's 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah, with rich dark black fruits (think blackberry, black currant) and dark spicy earthiness (black pepper, maybe even a hint of licorice), silky, mouth watering, and luscious.  I served it with a rosemary and garlic lamb sirloin steak and a side of couscous.  I tossed some golden raisins, dried cranberries, almond slivers, and a dash of cinnamon in the couscous.  The dried fruits in the couscous complemented the fruit in the wine, and the distinct flavors of lamb brought out the spicy, earthy quality in the wine.  It was a great pairing!

Sounds fancy, right?  My husband would say it's sounds too "ohh-la-la".  But, that's (almost) the best part of this story!  My secret?  Costco.  The lamb steaks were a great find -- decent price, already seasoned, just add fire.  Perfect!  And couscous is about the easiest thing in the world to make.  If you can boil water, you're almost done.  I buy my couscous in the bulk/bin section of the grocery store, it's super inexpensive that way.  And if you can't find a bottle of 2007 Domaine des Escaravailles Rasteau "La Ponce", try another wine from Côtes du Rhône Villages Rasteau or Southern Rhone.  You can probably find one at Costco, just a few steps away from the lamb steaks.  Bon appetit!