Food & Wine

Linnea Kristiansson • January 27, 2015

The Graham Georgetown is in process of reimagining its lounge and dining room space to provide patrons a more modern atmosphere.

The Graham started renovations of the in-house restaurant A.G.B. Jan. 1. The Alex will replace A.G.B as a more intimate craft cocktail lounge that will include dining options.

The Alex name pays homage to Alexander Graham Bell, the famous Georgetown resident, scientist, innovator and inventor.

The actual square footage will remain the same but the layout, design and feel of the space will be completely made over in the renovation. Notable new features include a 20-foot brass pipe ceiling, multitiered seating and elegant fabric drapes that will create more intimate parlor areas for guests to enjoy. New tones like bronze and black accented with jewel colors such as emerald green will dominate the lounge area.

A new menu will offer breakfast, and small plates in the evening. The space will also be available to rent out for private events with customized options to match clients’ wishes.

The Alex, located at 1075 Thomas Jefferson St. NW, is expected to open early February.

Serafine George • January 16, 2015

Fabio Trabocchi’s third restaurant Fiola Mare opens to the public Friday, beginning with dinner service at 5:30 p.m.

Trabocchi’s inspiration for the restaurant comes from the restaurants by the sea that he worked at the beginning of his career. The view of the Potomac River for the restaurant is meant to give customers that feeling of being on the coast of Italy without leaving D.C. The restaurant even includes an all-season enclosed veranda to enjoy the view in any weather and seats by the boardwalk when the weather is nice. Trabocchi grew up by the sea and loves cooking seafood. So, it’s only natural that the menu will feature fine coastal fare prepared with Trabocchi’s Italian interpretation, featuring the best seafood from all over the world.

The cocktails at Fiola Mare take inspiration from the classics, but with an Italian influence, and will include specialty cocktails. The restaurant will also include an open kitchen, mixology station and a seafood market counter.

At the counter, customers will be able to pick a whole fish priced by the pound, grilled and then filleted by a staff member at your table.

Trabocchi is originally from Italy but has made a home in the U.S. He was named a Food & Wine Magazine Best New Chef in 2002 and was also awarded best chef in the Mid-Atlantic in 2006 by the James Beard foundation. He is owner and chef of two restaurants in D.C. already, Fiola and Casa Luca. Fiola was named best new restaurant by Bon Appetite magazine in 2012 and Esquire in 2011.

Fiola Mare is located at 3050 K Street, NW (entrance at 31st Street and the waterfront). The restaurant will be serving lunch and dinner throughout the week with brunch and dinner on Sunday.

Nicole Cusick •

Find your own way to say ‘I love you’ to a
special someone on Valentine’s Day this
year. There are a variety of different events
and restaurant features in the District to fit any
couple or individual looking for their special
someone.

**DC Metro Chocolate Tours**
Take a two-hour interactive walking tour
in Georgetown highlighting the history of the
neighborhood while indulging in fine local
chocolates. Highlights of the tour include
chocolate-dipped bacon lollipops, chocolate
tea, chocolate sugar, chocolate salt, chocolate
crepes, chocolate skincare products and
more. Advance tickets are required. Tickets:
[dcmetrochocolatetours.com](http://dcmetrochocolatetours.com)

**Crimes of Passion: ‘Til Death Do Us Part’**
Tour the Crime Museum after hours on
Valentine’s Day. The self-guided tour includes
a rose, a take-home pair of furry handcuffs,
hands-on forensic demonstrations, and lessons
on “crimes of passion” such as the St. Valentine’s
Day Massacre. 6 p.m.-12 a.m., 575 7th St NW.
Tickets $80-$150 [crimemuseum.org/valentinesday](http://www.crimemuseum.org/valentinesday)

**Signed, Sealed, Delivered: A Party at the Postal Museum**
Back before the age of the Internet, lovers
exchanged messages through the mail sealed
with a kiss. The Smithsonian’s National Postal
Museum is the ideal place to look back to see the
role mail played in bringing couples together. The
event will feature music by DJ Trayze, dancing,
drinks, and more to be delivered at the museum
Feb. 13, from 8-11 p.m. 2 Massachusetts Ave.,
NE. [smithsonianassociates.org/smithsonianat8](http://www.smithsonianassociates.org/smithsonianat8)

**Valentine’s Tea and Chocolate-Tasting at Tudor Place**
Enjoy and learn the rich history of a variety
of 18th and 19th-century teas and chocolates,
followed by a guided tour of the 1816 mansion, a
National Historic Landmark, featuring a display
of vintage Valentines. 1 p.m. Feb. 15, 1644 31st
St NW. [tudorplace.org](http://www.tudorplace.org)

**Vintage Valentine: An Evening with the Washingtons at Tudor Place**
See an original letter George Washington
wrote to Martha in 1775 while enjoying wine
and hors d’oeuvres. There will also be the
opportunity to view other objects from the
museum’s Washington Collection and chat with
docents and curatorial staff. 5 p.m. Feb. 15,
1644 31st St., NW. For pricing details visit,
[tudorplace.org](http://tudorplace.com)

**Woo at the Zoo**
This year’s adults-only event emphasizes the
mating habits of giant pandas and how science
stepped in to help create the zoo’s newest baby
panda, Bao Bao. Enjoy one complimentary drink
and light snacks, visit a Valentine Fortuneteller,
decorate a sweet for your sweetie and watch an
animal demonstration. A cash bar with specialty
drinks will also be available. All festivites
take place in the Zoo’s Visitor Center starting
at 6:30 p.m., Feb. 14, 3001 Connecticut Ave
NW. Tickets and info: [www.nationalzoo.si.edu/
activitiesandevents/celebration/woo](http://www.nationalzoo.si.edu/
activitiesandevents/celebration/woo)

**Special Valentine’s Day Menus at Georgetown Restaurants
Georgetown favorites such as**:

1789 Restaurant (1226 36th St., NW,
202-965-1789)

The Caucus Room (401 9th St., NW,
202-393-1300)

Café Milano (3251 Prospect St., NW,
202-333-6183)

Mate (3101 K St., NW, 202-333-2006)

The Grill Room (1050 31st St NW,
202-617-2424)

Sea Catch (1054 31st St., NW, 202-
337-8855)

Rialto (2915 M Street NW, 202-337-
1571)

Clyde’s (3236 M St., NW, 202-333-
9180)

All will offer prix fixe Valentine’s Day
menus. Reservations can be made at [www.
opentable.com](http://www.opentable.com) for the restaurants listed above or
by phone.

Shari Sheffield •

The name Mandela immediately recalls the former president of South Africa, Nelson
Mandela. The face of the fight against apartheid symbolized courage and grace in adversity.

The world mourned his death last year. But the House of Mandela – a wine label created by his daughter and granddaughter – lives on, drawing inspiration from his humanity and compassion.

Mandela’s daughter, Dr. Makaziwe (Maki) Mandela, and her daughter, Tukwini Mandela, traveled to D.C. last October to present their wines. Brought to Washington by Heritage Link Brands, their U.S. distributor, the South African Embassy and the South African Board of Trade, Makaziwe and Tukwini introduced their current releases to wine enthusiasts, journalists and VIPs at a dinner at the City Club of Washington and a luncheon at the South African Embassy.

The daughter and granddaughter duo embarked years earlier on their ambitious venture to bring the world fine South African wine. What made this idea even more remarkable was that no one in the family had any idea how to grow grapes or make wine.

What they did have was a love for their land and a strong sense of family and tradition, stemming from a long line of kings and chiefs. Their connectedness to the land translated well to wine making. The mother and daughter conceived of the House of Mandela to bring the world the beauty of South Africa in a glass.

Using sustainable growing methods and, in some cases, Fairtrade-sourced grapes, the House has produced two collections under the House of Mandela label. The Thembu Collection is the entry-level line, named after their tribe. The Thembu people are known for their hospitality. Fittingly, this line of wine is very drinkable and approachable. The second line is the Royal Reserve, a higher-quality, higher-priced line.

The wine dinner at City Club featured some standouts, many of which are available in the D.C. area. Enjoy!

Brut NV Sparkling Wine
This “Méthode Cap Classique” is a blend of the traditional grapes of Champagne, but with Petite Meunier replaced by Pinotage. Mainly Chardonnay, with 33 percent Pinot Noir and 12 percent Pinotage, this wine could be aged for up to three years. The first pressing of the juice, aka the “cuvee,” and the best juices from the harvest are used. The second fermentation process takes place in the bottle as with traditional Champagne.

Thembu Collection Chardonnay 2012
Produced from grapes grown in the Western Cape, the juice is initially fermented in stainless steel tanks. It then spends time in French oak. The oak aging provides a richness that is not heavy, but can be felt in the mouth. Upon tasting this Chardonnay, I immediately detected apple flavors. It was served with a butternut squash soup, making a superb pairing.

Royal Reserve Chardonnay 2009
Next, we were served the Royal Reserve Chardonnay 2009, representing the classic house style of their best wines, at a higher price point. It was pale yellow with tinges of green. Citrus and lime aromatics were both on the nose and detected as flavors on the palate, along with some pleasant minerality. This wine paired well with the prawns which it accompanied. It will go nicely with any shellfish dish.

Thembu Collection Shiraz 2012
The entrée course paired this Shiraz with a petite bobotie tartlet and frikkadel. Bobotie and frikkadel are traditional South African meat dishes similar in consistency to meatballs. The wine’s blackberry and dark plum flavors, along with a hint of black pepper notes, complimented the savory spices of the meat. This wine is medium-bodied and lends itself well to meat dishe. It is quite drinkable now, but has nice aging potential (up to 10-12 years, I would say).

Royal Reserve Cabernet 2008
The keywords here are spice and structure. This Stellenbosch blend is 85 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 12 percent Shiraz and 3 percent Mourvèdre. Look for hints of sandalwood along with black fruits. It is very drinkable now, with aging potential up to 10 years.

Discover House of Mandela wines at these and other establishments in Washington, D.C.:

Rodman’s 5100 Wisconsin Ave., NW
Bell Wine & Spirits 1821 M St., NW
Salt & Pepper5125 MacArthur Blvd.

Nicole Cusick •

The Grill Room at the Capella Georgetown is hosting a Pork Cook Off to celebrate a full snout-to-tail dining experience Feb. 6 to 8. Diners can choose from one of two five-course pork-filled menus to taste the difference in the eco-friendly raised and processed pork provided by EcoFriendly Foods.

Bev Eggleston founded EcoFriendly Foods in 2001 after 12 years of farming in Mendota, Va. As a farmer, Eggleston experienced the frustration balancing raising great animals and making the most out of the product he raised. This gave him a first-hand look at how small family farms have to compete with the large-scale, corporate-owned, industrial-based agriculture that seem to dominate the industry. EcoFriendly Foods offers small farmers the opportunity to take care of the business end of processing, marketing and distribution of their animals, all done in-house.

Grill Room executive chef Jakob Esko and sous-chef Robert Sargent invited Eggleston to join them in the celebration of locally raised and processed pork. The team also invited D.C. chef John Manolatos of Cashion’s Eat Place and Yvan Mucharraz from Don Manuel’s at Capella in Pedregal, Mexico, to participate in the cook-off. Together, they created a menu that features such dishes as pork shank ravioli with radicchio, rapini, parmesan and smoked ham hock cream as well as pork–rib broth with poached Jidori egg and winter truffles. Chef Esko also invented two pork-inspired desserts, including an apple tart tatin with candied pecan and bacon ice cream and a caramelia chocolate mousse with hazelnut cake and fig and prosciutto ice cream.

The pork menu is exclusively available Thursday, Feb. 6, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., when the featured chefs will be on-hand for the kick off.

Feb. 7 and 8 will feature a blend between pork tasting and regular Grill Room items during dinner from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.

The five-course pork tasting menus are $95 per person (excluding gratuities.) If guests would prefer to order the dishes a la carte, they can do so on Feb. 7 and 8. Starters are priced between $14-18; the main courses are $32-38; and $10 for desserts. View the full pork filled menu at grillroomdc.com/events, or call 202-617-2429. The Grill Room, 1050 31st St., NW. [gallery ids="101616,146755,146751,146758" nav="thumbs"]

Corrie Dyke •

Meat Week, a national holiday started in Tallahassee in 2005 and celebrated in cities across the country, begins on the last Sunday in January. Kicking off this week through Feb. 2,  the week’s focus is gathering with friends in the name of American barbecue. Each city has a designated captain who creates a schedule for the week at various area restaurants. This year’s participating cities include Atlanta, Ga., Austin, Texas, Baltimore, Md., Baton Rouge, La., Columbus, Ohio, Greenville, N.C., Iowa City, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, Philadelphia, San Antonio, San Diego, Tallahassee, Fla. and D.C. 

According to Meat Week’s website, the longest-consecutively-running chapters are: Tallahassee, Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. Mike Bober is D.C.’s meat captain. 

Vegetarians should stay home as the eight-night celebration of barbecued meats visit at least seven different  highlighted restaurants. This week’s D.C. schedule includes: Hill Country Barbecue Market, DCity Smokehouse at Showtime Lounge, Pork Barrel BBQ, Smoke BBQ, D.C. Meat Week Food Truck Face-Off hosted by LivingSocial and Mr. P’s Ribs. For a complete schedule and meaty details, visit meatweek.com/cities/washingtondc.

Corrie Dyke •

Say goodbye to your New Year’s resolutions
of eating less. Winter Restaurant
Week 2014 kicked off on Monday with a
record-breaking 250 restaurants participating in
the bi-annual week dedicated to eating your way
through the region.

Winter Restaurant Week features special
prices coinciding with the year with a prix-fixe
three-course lunch for $20.14 and three-course
dinner for $35.14 through Sunday, Jan. 19.
The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan
Washington represents members of the growing
restaurant industry in the District, Northern
Virginia and suburban Maryland and showcases
Restaurant Week every summer and winter
encouraging diners to “Dine Out. Eat Up.”
Most restaurants feature special menus for
the seven-days of foodie heaven, giving diners
a unique chance to try an old favorite or explore
a new option.

“Restaurant Week is a great time to take
a ride into town to try something new,” said
RAMW marketing and communications director
Kyle Rees.

New for Winter Restaurant Week 2014 is a
guidebook full of reviews from Open Table on
the participating restaurants. The book is available
at a number of D.C. hotels and can help narrow
down the overwhelming number of choices
for the week.

If looking for something new, a few restaurants
in the District are making their debut
to Restaurant Week including; Mike Isabella’s
Kapnos and G (2201 14th St NW), Alba Osteria
(425 “I” St NW), The Arsenal (300 Tingey St.
SE) and Teddy & the Bully Bar (1200 19th St.
NW).

“Restaurant week offers a great promotion
for our regional diners to dine out and try many
new and existing restaurants around town,” said
RAMW president and CEO Kathy Hollinger.
Another addition is the “Try Something New
in 2014” contest. Through Restaurant Week’s
partner NBC4, diners who “Like” NBC4 on
Facebook will be entered to win a prize package
including lunch for two at J&G Steakhouse and
two “Blissage 75” massages at Bliss Spa, both
located within the W Hotel on 15th Street, NW.
Sponsors of Restaurant Week include Meat
and Livestock Australia, Cuisine Solutions,
Open Table and American Express with media
partners NBC4, 94.7 Fresh FM and DC Modern
Luxury.

For the full list of participating restaurants, visit
ramw.org/restaurantweek.

Shari Sheffield •

I arrived shortly after its opening one recent Saturday eve. I was greeted warmly by the staff and encouraged to explore the newly opened space that is now Eno Wine Bar next to the Four Seasons Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue. Not many patrons or guests from the Four Seasons had ambled in yet.

Immediately, I noticed the warm wood décor. The classic Georgetown townhouse has been completely transformed into a sleek modern exposed brick space. Apparently the building is a great upgrade from a former jewelry store and a one-time doctor’s office. The second floor provides more seating and the center of this floor is cut into an atrium to showcase the massive “exploding barrel” sculpture suspended from the ceiling. People sitting at the bar look up into the shattered staves of a reclaimed oak wine barrel turned into art.

With eight wines on tap, more than 25 wines by the glass, more than 200 bottles presently in its international cellar, with the list continually growing to 500 bottles ultimately, there’s plenty of variety at Eno.

Looking at the wine menu, I was greeted by a page of cleverly named wine flights with titles like “50 Shades of Gris” and “The Other Washington.” There is also a “Cheat Sheet” in the back of the menu that describes a hand full of popular varietals and their classic characteristics to help beginner wine drinkers. What a brilliant and refreshing idea for a wine menu.

Feeling assured that the wine evening was off to a good start, the first dilemma arose. Which cleverly named flight would I choose? I decided to begin with the “Float Like a Butterfly” on the recommendation of Fabienne, the most charming knife-welding Frenchwoman I have ever met. She was running the bar that night. The name of the flight suggests that the wines in it are light in style. The first in the series was a pinot noir from Biggio Hamina Cellars in Willamette, Oregon. It was pleasant and light with a slightly oily or lanolin like mouth feel. Classic pinot noir cherry flavors were there as well.

As I chatted about wine with Fabienne, she deftly sliced charcuterie, cheeses and wonderfully fresh baguette and brown breads with her large knife for orders that steadily picked up as more guests flowed inside. I moved on from my “Float Like a Butterfly” flight, but the favorites of the trio were the Mondeuse from Franck Peillot in Bugey, France and the nebbiolo from Laretti. Mondeuse is not normally seen on wine lists here and it was chosen for its acidity and fruit to go with charcuterie. It expressed hints of cedar upon tasting. The Laretti Nebbiolo is from Piedmont, Italy, and Eno saved the best for last in this flight. The color is beautiful deep purple. Rose aromas abound. A simply delicious wine.

The next flight chosen to sample was the “Jefferson’s Heirs.” This flight’s theme features medium-bodied Virginia wines. A 2011 Cabernet Franc from Tarara Winery in Leesburg started off the line up. It encompasses all the best qualities of cabernet franc (soft tannins, understated finesse, red and black fruit flavors). It also has a bonus-a hint of mocha. Second favorite wine in the flight was the 2009 Lovingston, a merlot based blend. It tastes rustic with a mixture of blackberry notes and hint of tobacco. A pesky fruit fly tried to share this wine with me and seemed to enjoy it, too. Third was the Sangiovese Reserve from Barboursville Vineyards in Monticello, Va. This classic Italian varietal is done well at Barboursville. It has a pleasant “dusty” (think smoky) cherry nose and red fruit flavors with soft tannin.

The final wine flight was “The Other Washington.” This flight was the fullest bodied of the red wine flights. The wines hail from Washington State. They are made exclusively for Eno by Dusted Valley Winery. The flight is comprised of a cabernet sauvignon, a Rhone-styled blend dominated by grenache and a merlot based Bordeaux styled blend called Columbeaux.

Fabienne encouraged me to stay for small plates, featuring brioche grilled cheese sandwiches with duck confit and deviled eggs. And I was tempted by the extensive cheese and bruschetta flights. Everything on the menu looked so equally tempting, I could not narrow down the choices.

But when you go be sure: 1) NOT to skip out on the Chocolate Flight and pair it with “Three Kings” dessert wine flight, featuring sherry and Madeira, 2) sit at the bar and gaze up at the “Exploding Barrel” and 3) tell Fabienne I sent you. Enjoy. Cheers!

Alison Schafer •

It used to be the two “S’s,” Scheele’s and Sara’s, that kept the east side of Georgetown going. That’s where us disorganized people go to pick up a pint of milk for cereal or bottle of wine for a dinner party. Now the two “S’s” have been joined by a third, Stachowski’s, and the neighborhood is hopping.

Stachowski’s opened on the corner of 28th and P streets last April. “Initially the neighborhood was our core group,” says Jyoti Mukherjee, the store’s manager. “Now it is steady all day everyday. We probably serve about 400 people a day—people from all over, Arlington, Bethesda, Capitol Hill.”

Stachowski’s, named after local chef and owner Jamie Stachowski, is primarily a butcher shop, but it does a brisk business in sandwiches and take-out dinners. The most popular things on the menu are probably the pastrami sandwich and the grinder, but the shop sells cookies, bread and fancy sodas as well. Aside from the standard steaks, and lots of sausages, there’s also a lot of demand for pork and veal cheeks. Probably the weirdest order they’ve ever gotten was for quail gizzards.

Business is very good. So good, in fact, that there is some discussion of opening new stores in other walkable neighborhoods. “We are the right concept at the right time in the exact right place,” Mukherjee says. “Being on this corner and the smells and the life around this place–there’s a great sense of community here.”

And that is what is it all about, say the Georgetowners who rely on their neighborhood food stores. “They build community,” says Dave Salwen, a Scheele’s loyalist. “They know you, they know your neighbors, and you get to know your neighbors.”

And the stores are part of the fabric of the block. Scheele’s, which is at 29th and Dumbarton, “keeps keys, lends jumper cables, we’ve used their fax machine, done package drop off there,” says Barrett Tilney. “I even got a Christmas card this year from Ms. Lee (Scheele’s former owner)!”

Scheele’s current owner, Dong Kim, says his customers are loyal; there just aren’t enough of them. His store stocks items of acute need in the neighborhood: bagels for sleepy teenage boys, tennis balls for the avid players at Rose Park, Diet Coke for the frazzled yummy mummies. “It is important for the neighborhood,” Kim says, though he is planning to use Twitter and other social media to pull in more customers.

Sara’s, on busy Q Street, is all things to all neighbors, both a place to pick up bread and a drycleaner, shoehorned into a fairly tiny space. It, too, has a devoted clientele. “I go there a couple of times of a week,” says Ned Herrington, “mostly when I run out of chicken noodle soup.”

And (this is sort of a secret,), the coolest Georgetowners have something neither money nor fame can buy: a house account. Sara’s doesn’t offer them, but Scheele’s does and Stachowski’s is starting to—meaning you can get your morning coffee or dinner’s duck casserole without resorting to such a plebian thing as carrying a wallet.

Shari Sheffield •

Washington, D.C., is a backyard BBQ-grilling-cookout town. If there’s any little sliver of grass available in the city, folks are out throwing down a blanket on it for a picnic. Those with backyards have set up a grill and are cooking out on it or on their patios.

A perusal of neighborhood backyards will result in finding everything from space defying little picnic table top grills to massive stainless steel Viking outdoor built-ins gleaming bright in the sun. Beside most of those grills you will be sure to find long neck bottles of beer in tubs or kegs of beer. But what is the wine lover to drink?

Pairing a good wine with grilled foods or picking one to bring to a cookout can sometimes be a daunting task. The thought of trying to find a white wine to stand up to grilled meats or a red that won’t be too heavy in the summer heat can stump many. Fear not! Here is a list of food and wine parings that will make your next cookout a breeze.

There is a rule of thumb when pairing wine and food to pair simple wines with simple foods. That piece of advice goes a long way when it comes to finding the right wine to serve at a cookout. But this adage doesn’t mean you should sacrifice quality. It means you don’t have to serve a very complex wine with your hot dog or hamburger. So relax. You don’t have to look for anything fancy unless of course, you want.

The second rule to remember is that it is sometimes easiest to pair wines from a country with foods and flavors that come from the same region. Let’s say you are going to grill Italian sausage. A good wine to go with them would be Chianti. Chianti is from Italy. An Italian wine with Italian sausage. What could be simpler? Chianti is made primarily from the red grape Sangiovese. Sangiovese is very food friendly. Look for a Chianti Classico or Superior.

If you are throwing some “shrimp on the barbie,” ice down a bottle of Oregon Pinot Gris beforehand. Pinto Gris is made
from the Pinot Grigio grape. However, Pinot Gris is richer and spicier. You will experience more citrus flavors and floral aromas.
The richness will complement the smokiness of grilled flavors of the shrimp without over powering the delicate minerality of the meat.

Red Zinfandel is a truly American wine. It is generally not produced anywhere else in the world (however, the same grape is used in Italy to produce Primitivo). So, it is apropos to pair it with BBQ short ribs. The tangy smoky sweetness of the meat with marry well with the earthy, dark cherry, and pepper flavors of this wine. Red Zinfandel is medium bodied so it will stand up to the hearty flavors of the smoky grilled meat.

And speaking of meat what backyard grill master would dare to throw a cookout without a good old flame kissed hamburger? Grilled beef and red wine are a match made in heaven. But when it is ground and put between a bun with cheese, ketchup and mustard, it can be a tricky food to pair with a wine. Look to another very food friendly red wine, Rioja to complement a burger. Rioja is from Spain and it is made from the temporally grape. While Rioja has enough structure and weight to stand up to the fire charred beef and strong flavors of the mustard, it has enough milder tannins. And its traditional flavors
of berries, plum, tobacco, vanilla, and herbs will enhance the flavors of a simple burger well.

Don’t forget to cool off your reds before serving. 10 minutes in the fridge before serving should do it. Happy grilling and pairing!