Mmmm, delicious venison

The wife was in Capital City for a few days last week. The ostensible purpose was work, but the chance to visit family and old friends also motivated her visit. Working for an organization based in your hometown has its advantages.

In any case, my wife’s absence provided me a good opportunity to cook a dish I’d been thinking about for a while; medallions of venison with port and cranberries (she doesn’t like the idea of eating Walt Disney characters, you see). So myself and fellow imbibers Starbuck Jr. and Rizza (more on them later) came over for a feast.

I highly recommend this recipe. The sauce is simple, easy to make, rich and delicious. If necessary, you can mail-order the venison medallions or you can substitute beef. Just give it a try.

I paired a couple of Rhone reds with the meal; the 2000 Feraud-Brunel Cairanne and the 1999 Guigal St. Joseph Rouge. The Grenache based Feraud-Brunel offered dark fruit, leather, earth and a nice gaminess. The Guigal St. Joseph, consisting of 100% Syrah, was more structured and delineated and offered somewhat similar gamy flavors.

The unanimous favorite however, was the 2003 Chateau Mouton Bordeaux Superieur that Starbuck Jr. brought over. This round and somewhat modern-styled wine’s rich, forward fruit best accompanied the strong flavors of the meal. I felt as though the dish was a bit too much for the Rhones, though sans food (or with a different dish) I think I’d prefer the Guigal.