Phil Your Glass: It's time for the Feast of the 7 Delicious

There are seven days in a week. Seven continents on Earth. And seven colors in a rainbow. My favorite seven, however, has to be the seven wines that I have chosen to be served at this year’s sixth annual made-up holiday — The Feast of the 7 Delicious.

Don’t laugh. You’ll have more fun with these seven wines over the holiday season than those seven cackling swans. Purchasing one bottle of each will cost you a mere $200.99. If you were to purchase the top seven wines on Wine Spectator magazine’s top 100 list, it would set you back $704!

Without further ado, here are the magnificent 7.

Jean-Michel Gautier Vouvray Brut

Sparkling wine is an essential for any feast, and Jean-Michel Gautier’s Vouvray Brut is the perfect bottle for any occasion. The Gautier family traces their domain in Vouvray, France, back to a 1669 land deed. Grapes on their 35-hectare estate are still harvested by hand.

I found these $19.99 bubbles, made from 100% chenin blanc, to be extremely food-friendly. It’s wonderful with soft, mild cheeses like brie and fresh mozzarella. With that in mind, I whipped up a few fresh ricotta, honey and prosciutto crostini. Honey and fresh ricotta is a heavenly treat on its own. The Asian pear, fresh-baked bread and honey nuances of the wine only accentuated the experience. What a combo!

You will love how these persistent bubbles go with your favorite crabcakes or simply a tray of shrimp dipped in a bit of zippy cocktail sauce. The piece de resistance, as they say in France, is how well it went with chef Beau Schmidt’s Mediterranean octopus salad.

Buy this wine at Mustard Seed Market Montrose, Krieger’s Market, Beau's Market in Copley, Fishers on Fulton, The Galaxy, Colonial Wine & Beverage in Chesterland.

Marquis de Mons Margaux

Marquis de Mons Margaux is from one of the most celebrated wine regions on the planet: Bordeaux. Thankfully, at $39.99, this bottle isn't priced like a coveted First Growth.

Wines from Margaux have always been special to me. I fell head over heels in love with the region after sampling Chateau Margaux many years ago at a WVIZ/Heinen’s World Series of Wine event.

Marquis de Mons Margaux is a second label from Chateau La Tour de Mons. Experts rate the 2016 vintage in Bordeaux at "excellent" to "legendary." This wine definitely fits the billing. Although wines from the Margaux region tend to be cabernet-based, this beauty is predominantly merlot with a bit of cabernet added.

I love the blueberry and currant flavors of this wine. It was perfect with a hunk of Huntsman Old English Cheese, which is layered with Gloucester and Stilton cheeses and available at Beau’s Market. I tried a glass with a couple of leftover meatballs from Wise Guy’s Lounge and Grill. Of course, it went perfectly. The sausage-stuffed mushrooms from Heinen’s in Hudson were a terrific match as well.

Buy this wine at Beau’s Market in Copley, Krieger’s Market, Mustard Seed Market Montrose, Heinen’s in Hudson, Regency Wines, and Fishers on Fulton.

Boffa Roero Arneis

I love Italian white wine. But why should pinot grigio get all the attention? Arneis is one of my favorites. The best is from Italy’s Piedmont region, where it is the leading white grape.

Carlo Boffa’s Roero Arneis is very food-friendly. Certainly great on its own with its honeyed apple nuances. Also a nice wine to start your evening with some prosciutto-wrapped asparagus or phyllo dough mushroom purses. Arneis is a perfect wine to pair with white meats and oven-roasted whitefish. Grilled asparagus? Heck yeah!

My favorite pairing with arneis is with a special Piedmont pasta dish made by my dear friend Lee Bee. It was a very light cream sauce pasta topped with chopped, toasted hazelnuts that she brought back from her Italian home in Cravanzana, which is the hazelnut capital of Italy. This tiny Piedmont town is situated among an enormous hazelnut grove not far from where the arneis grapes are grown. I have always heard that “where it grows together, it goes together.”

Buy this wine at Krieger’s Market, Mustard Seed Market in Montrose, Regency Wines, Fishers on Fulton, and Vaccaro's Trattoria.

DiamAndes Perlita blend

I don’t like to reveal all of my secrets, but this was yet another stellar wine find at one of Regency Wines' Friday tastings. I knew this was a special wine after my first sip. Then I spotted the $12.99 price tag. The 2019 DiamAndes Perlita blend of 80% Malbec and 20% Syrah is a definite keeper.

This wine from Mendoza, Argentina, has rich elderberry and blueberry flavors with a beautiful leathery finish. I’ve taste tested this wine on three occasions and found it to be extremely food-friendly. It was great with Chef Eric Pierce’s beef tip stew, a carne asada taco with queso from Wholly Frijole, and a pepperoni and mushroom pizza from Luca’s Pizza in Stow.

I might have buried the lede. But, save a glass of this wine to have with a piece of opera cake. You’ll thank me later.

Buy this wine at Krieger’s Market, Regency Wines, Beau's Market in Copley, Mustard Seed Market Montrose, Heinen’s in Hudson, and Fishers on Fulton.

Cartello syrah

Cartello wines are relatively new but not unfamiliar to the Ohio wine scene. Cartello syrah carries the same pedigree as the Mila Family Vineyards, which are owned by Richfield residents Michael Oravecz and Loretta DiChiro. The grapes come from the same bio-dynamically farmed hillside vineyard that overlooks the beautiful Alexander Valley in Sonoma, California.

These 2 acres of syrah are pampered like the much-higher-priced cult classics on the other side of the Mayacamas Mountains in Napa Valley. They are hand harvested, cluster sorted, berry sorted and fermented before being placed into a specific barrel program. The $29.99 price tag is a mere pittance for wine this flipping good.

A hunk of Beemster aged Gouda cheese is the perfect thing to nibble on while the wine breathes in your glass. You’ll love the juicy black raspberry flavors and aromas of violet and vanilla that lede you to an elegant leathery finish. Pick up a couple of $7 filet mignon sliders from Darby’s on 59 to have with this beauty. The thyme horseradish aioli and caramelized onions make this a splendid pairing.

Craving something sweet? Try an F-Bombs chocolate truffle from Heinen’s in Hudson. You’ll be glad you saved a few sips in your glass for this decadent treat.

Buy this wine at Krieger’s Market, Mustard Seed Market Montrose, Papa Joe’s, Fishers on Fulton, Miles Market and Western Reserve Wines in Solon, Top Shelf of Ohio in Jackson Township, World, Wine & Liquors in Northfield, and Vaccaro's Trattoria.

Gibbs Dusty Red

The  2018 Gibbs Dusty red blend was all set to be a headliner in last year’s feast until supply chain issues interfered. This year’s current 2019 Bordeaux blend is equally stunning. It’s a blend of  50% cabernet sauvignon, with merlot, malbec, petit verdot and a touch of cabernet franc added. Don’t overthink this $27.99 gem.  Just drink it.

For starters, this wine went well with a hunk of Prima Donna aged Gouda cheese and a few spicy pecan-stuffed dates. I liked how the strawberry jam and baking spice nuances of the wine complemented a carryout order of short rib sliders from Moe’s Restaurant. Grill up a few burgers or order your favorite pizza. This is an any night of the week Napa red.

Buy this wine at Krieger’s Market, Mustard Seed Market, Beau’s Market & Deli, Beau’s Grille in Fairlawn, Beau’s on the River, Cornerstone Market in Munroe Falls, Fishers on Fulton.

HG III proprietary blend

I had the pleasure of meeting Hourglass founder and CEO Jeff Smith while at a cooperative tasting room in St. Helena, California, a few years back. We chatted for a minute until I was led to a tasting with another winery around the corner from his desk.

Ten minutes later, Smith came into the tasting and gifted me a bottle of his wine. I opened the bottle a couple weeks later while back in Ohio and found the wine to be as amazing as the kind gesture Smith had bestowed on me.

I recently tasted the 2019 HG III proprietary blend and grew quite smitten. The first swirl in your glass is an absolute love fest. It’s a blend of merlot, petite sirah and cabernet grown at their Napa Valley estate. You will love the rich blueberry and black raspberry flavors and aromas of toasted pecan and spice.

This wine was great with chef Erik Pierce’s beef tip stew and seared pork belly with orange and anise. If you don’t want to get that complicated, then swing by Regency Wines and enjoy a $16 glass of this amazing red wine. You'd be hard-pressed to find a better glass pour in the Akron area.

Buy this wine at Beau’s Market & Deli in Copley, Beau’s Grille in Fairlawn, Beau’s on the River, Mustard Seed Market, Krieger’s Market, Cellar 59 in Stow, One Eleven Bistro in Medina, Bender’s Tavern in Canton, Top Shelf of Ohio in Jackson Township, Fishers on Fulton, and by the glass at Regency Wines.

Come and join me at the Feast

Sample all seven wines paired specially with a small bite for $39 at the Sheraton Suites on Saturday, Dec. 3, from noon to 3 p.m. Sample 30 additional wines and Pulpo beer on draft. Bring your growler. Five additional drink samples are available for $5. For reservations, call 330-920-7530 or email epinheiro@sheratonAkron.com

A second event has been added from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8, for Beau's Grille at the Hilton Akron/Fairlawn. Call 330-867-5218 or email epinheiro@rdamanagement.com.

Send me an email at philyourglass@gmail.com with any wine questions and follow me on Instagram @pmasturzo_philyourglass.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Feast of the 7 Delicious: Favorite wines of 2022 from Phil Your Glass