Paired Up: Cabernet Sauvignon and Chunky Chicken Chili

In our Paired Up posts, we review a wine and the food we wisely (or foolishly) paired it with. 

The Wine

2007 Januik Cabernet Sauvignon

We got this bottle of Januik Cabernet Sauvignon back in April during our visit to the winery. It's been laying in our wine rack since then, just waiting for the right moment. We chose it for this meal because, well, why not? We really just wanted to drink a Cab; this Cab was lying there. Yes, sometimes it really is that simple! It decanted for an hour or so before we tasted it.

The Food

Hunter stayed out of the ki... wait, no. This was Hunter's creation. In the chef's words:

Sampling the Goods: Alexandria Nicole Cellars and Novelty Hill • Januik Winery

In our Sampling the Goods posts, we describe the vineyards, wineries and tasting rooms we visit and our experiences therein.

Plans were made to head up to Mt. Vernon to visit some friends and enjoy the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival on Saturday, April 9. Having caught the very tail end of it last year, we thought going early might be better. Well, with the cold spring we've had out here in the Puget Sound area, there weren't many tulips to be seen. Luckily, the Tulip Festival website has an excellent map showing which fields are blooming (not many on that day), so we skipped the flowers. But we couldn't just clean the house during the day - plans were made! So, we made a quick stop in Woodinville on our way up north. It's on the way. We swear.

Alexandria Nicole Cellars

We went to Alexandria Nicole because we hadn't been there and because we wanted to stay away from the Walla Walla wineries that we'll be visiting in a few weeks for Spring Release. In addition, they were recently named 2011 Washington Winery of the Year by Wine Press Northwest, so we thought we should see what the hype was about.