I've been traveling, and am now very happy to be back at home. I was in Haiti, where the drink of choice was Rum or beer.

So now, at home, I grilled a small steak, cooked some potatoes and sauteed - very briefly - some Brussel sprout tops. I looked at the wines I had and went for a 2006 Napa Merlot, Annabella, from Oakville, 14.5% This isn't a wine I would normally drink, usually favoring Italian wines. And truthfully, I would have opened a Chilean Cab if I had one in front of me. But this was a very nice, well balanced wine.

Merlot got a bad rap for becoming too popular, but it is a wonderful flavorful wine. It goes to show you - revisit soem of those old wines we used to drink. (Well, maybe not the gallo hearty burgundy....)