Surprise company this afternoon...help

[Georgie]

I got a call from my Irish cousin that he, his mom or (mum) and sister will be stopping in to see me between 5 and 6 o'clock this evening. They don't want dinner. I don't have much time to pull something together. I thought I'd put out some Cougar Gold, crackers and fresh fruit. Maybe some cookies.. Any perfect wine I should pick up on the way home?

[hotwine]

Being Brits, a claret style red would be my recommendation. If you have a World Market in your area, that would be a place to find some fruity reds at decent prices. The Tinta Roriz Altano comes to mind; from Portugal, it's only $5-$6. Otherwise, would look for a Rioja Crianza. (None of these is a claret, they're just red blends.)

[Innkeeper]

Or you could ask for a $10 or $12 mini chateau Bordeaux. Tell the retailer you want a light one.

[Georgie]

Thanks guys!

[Georgie]

Well, I swooped into the little liquor store next door to the supermarket and grabbed the first thing I saw. It was a 2001 Christian Moueix Merlot Bordeaux. I decanted it for about an hour. I didn't know if that was worth doing, but I figured it couldn't hurt. Everybody liked it. It was dry and earthy tasting. I'd buy it again for the whopping price of $8.99! We had a great visit with some great Irish cousins!

[wondersofwine]

Cheers and begorrah! (Not sure about spelling or meaning of that last)