Six Prong Provides An Alternative to Overly Fruity Red Wines

One trend that I’m finding a bit troublesome with some Washington winemakers is the overemphasis they’re placing on the fruit flavors of their red wines.

While fruit flavors in a wine are undoubtedly an important element of taste, there’s also the risk of having too much of a good thing. When this is the case you end up with something I refer to as a “fruit bomb”, where flavors like berries, cherries, or plums are so overwhelming they interfere with other important components of the wine such as tannins, alcohol, and acidity levels.

Another adverse affect of having an overly fruity red wine is that it becomes more difficult to pair with food. The proper match of food and wine really is a thing of beauty, and excessive fruit flavors tend to clash with, rather than complement foods, much the same as a disproportionate amount of seasoning can ruin a meal.

A really nice, food friendly Washington wine I recently tried is the Six Prong 2003 Red Wine. It’s a combination of cabernet, sangiovese, merlot, grenache and syrah grapes from the Columbia Valley.

This full-bodied wine is packed with restrained dark berry flavors, good acidity, a touch of oak and ample tannins. It begs to be paired with grilled burgers, roast beef, or a big, juicy steak and it’s well priced at only about $15 a bottle.

Six Prong Red Wine can be found in the wine section of many local grocers. Also keep an eye out for the 2004 vintage, which is currently in release as well.