When "Petite" equals HUGE

Prior to the Jonas Brothers concert (see my other blog) Susie, Julia and I went to Dante's Down the Hatch for some fondue. I chose EOS Petite Sirah to accompany our dinner and I'm glad I did (no, Julia didn't have any, but she did have a lovely tropical fruit drink sans alcohol). Petite Sirah is a totally different grape than Syrah, though I think their DNA may cross paths somewhere down the line. Dark as ink (and teeth-staining as well), Petite Sirah is a massive wine. Young wines tend to have huge tannins but if you decant and/or allow some time for aging, you'll be pleased to find a rich wine full of depth. Despite the tannins in most Petite Sirahs, you will find that the flavors are not so much as to 'take over' your meal as Cabernet Sauvignon can do. As we had chicken, pork, beef and shrimp in our fondue mélange, the wine didn't seem to overpower any of the flavors and actually paired nicely with all the sauces (teriyaki, remoulade, sweet/sour and (Susie's fave) creamy horseradish). So the next time you want to try something new, give Petite Sirah a shot--the EOS as mentioned is a great choice from Paso Robles; I think it's around $10-15. Enjoy!