Millington's finest

For Christmas, Ashley gave me a bottle of Old Millington Winery's Crying Angel red table wine. I cracked it open a couple of days ago and have been quite impressed with it since.

The most striking thing about this wine, to me, is its color. Most wines I drink tend to stay within ruby red tones or dark chocolate colors. The Crying Angel looks a bit dirtier than ruby red; it's clear enough to see through but there are browns and yellows that catch the light and give the wine an aged, almost burned look.

The wine itself is full-bodied and robust, with deep spices and a strongly fermented feel to it. The nose is almost leathery with a strong scent of alcohol (stronger, even, than the taste of alcohol). But it's not overwhelming. It's just a hint of machismo, as if the wine is saying "hell yeah, I'll get you drunk!"

(Quite a contrast when you consider the label design.)

This wine won a silver medal in the Cynthiana category at the 2004 Wines of the South Competition, and I can't see a reason why such an award wasn't deserved.

An all-purpose, locally grown wine. Fabulous.