Round Pond Syrah: A Brooding, Velvety Red Wine

While we are “staying home” during this crazy time, my husband and I have been trying to incorporate a few nice wine and dinner nights to keep from getting too bored with our freezer dinner specials. We might as well make the best of it, right?! We recently opened a delicious Syrah from Round Pond of Napa Valley, California.

The Round Pond Experience

We first became aware of Round Pond on a visit to Napa several years ago. This was the first winery we visited on that trip and it was, to me, the quintessential Napa winery experience. They have this amazing outdoor patio with a huge brick fireplace. It’s nestled in the middle of their vineyard and is just an amazing, calming place to take in wine country.

We enjoyed a wine tasting paired with bites of food sourced from their organic garden. Of course, right?! It was a very intimate experience as we sat on cushy outdoor furniture with an expert sharing information about the wine and the winery with just the two of us.

Then we journeyed across the street from the tasting room and enjoyed a Round Pond olive oil tasting. Oh, was that an experience too! They showed us the olive oil press and the olive trees growing right next to the tasting and press room. They produce this amazing blood orange olive oil by pressing the orange rinds at the same time they are pressing the olives. This process creates the best flavor. This is the best blood orange olive oil I’ve ever tasted and I’ve tried quite a few. We drizzle this on salads and cooked vegetables. So tasty! They have a line-up of other olive oils, balsamics, and syrups that are quite tasty too.

As you can tell, we were hooked from the start and have been Round Pond members ever since. (Yes, I know this is probably sounding like a commercial about now, but I promise this is not a paid advertisement. It’s just me loving this winery.)

Syrah & Short Ribs

Grilled short ribs.

Back to this delicious Syrah. My husband, the fabulous cook in our family, grilled up some short ribs this week and decided to pair the Round Pond Syrah with it.

The taste profile for this Syrah had blackberry and black cherry flavors with some earthy, toasty oak notes. The tannins (drying sensation) were virtually non-existent, making it smooth and velvety. The wine was so easy to enjoy on its own. At the same time, it paired perfectly with the fatty short ribs. Delish!

In the meantime, our friend showed us up by braising short ribs in Syrah. This is actually a great tip for pairing food with wine.

Remember that pairing is more than just the meat or protein. To take it up a notch, think about the main seasonings and flavors in the dish, then pair your wine based on those flavors.

Short ribs braised in Syrah.

One trick, used by our friend here, is to braise your meats in the same varietal of wine that you’ll be pairing with the dish. That way the fruity, earthy, acidic flavors in the wine will compliment that in the dish. I would definitely cook with a lower priced wine without going too cheap.

Where to Find Round Pond Syrah

Of course, I share all of this with you and the Syrah is not currently available on Round Pond’s website. We acquired this bottle through an offer exclusively for members. Regardless, we’ve loved all of the wines offered from Round Pond. We’ve even recently seen their wine at our local grocery store (Mariano’s). It’s worth a look the next time you’re at the grocery store and they’ve run out of milk. Try the wine aisle instead!

But seriously, these are trying times and I wish each and everyone one of you good health, meaningful family moments, and some creative approaches to this isolation period. Best wishes to all of you! Cheers!