Will this wine work ok?

[Thomas]

When you pair wine with tomato sauce or with spicy meats in tomato sauce you have two choices: a softer wine that contrasts the acidity and spice of the dish; an acidic wine that simulates the acid and spice of the dish. Sounds to me like you did not care for the softer wine type with this dish.

The "butter" taste might mean that the particular red had been put through malo-lactic fermentation, but that is only a guess, since I would have to taste the wine to make such a claim with any serious shot at accuracy. The butter could also mean that the food overpowered the wine.