It would be a lot easier to answer the question of how The Simpsons remains fresh and totally relevant after more than two decades of television, if you happened to be sipping on the Summerhill Pyramid Winery‘s Organic Dry Riesling ($20). It has plenty of bracing acidity, making it an amazing food wine, certainly, but it is lovely to sip on, the hotter the weather the better. Whatever answer you come up with, you will at least begin to figure out what makes Homer run.
In a different vein, or vine, is The Strapper ($22), a delicately constructed but ultimately powerful grenache–shiraz-mataro (GSM) blend by the great Yalumba winery in Australia. The fruit here is all Barossa Valley, and exhibits so much ripe fruit you might be tempted to spread it on some toasted bread. But really, grilled pork chops or salmon would be great, even if you season with a few chili flakes and fennel seeds. There is plenty of licorice and chocolate to accompany all of the fruit, and the finish goes on longer than Bonanza. The Simpsons, well, that is another matter entirely.
