Simply stated, this is a good bottle of wine | Phil Your Glass

Phil Masturzo, Akron Beacon Journal
Updated ·2 min read
A bottle of Simply Washington State red blend is the perfect companion to a Retz’s Laconi’s II pizza.
A bottle of Simply Washington State red blend is the perfect companion to a Retz’s Laconi’s II pizza.

Life can be extremely complicated at times. Choosing a bottle of wine shouldn’t be.

Simply said, this $12.99 red blend from Washington State is a darn good bottle of wine.Simply Red is a wonderful blend of nearly equal amounts of syrah, merlot and cabernet from vineyards in Yakima Valley and the Wahluke Slope. I found this gem on the 12 under $12ish wall at Western Reserve Wines in Solon. It’s part of a value line of wines from the Milbrandt Family in Washington State.Be sure to grab an 8-ounce hunk of Prairie Breeze cow's milk cheese from the Milton Creamery if you check out the shop. A few bites of this wonderful $11.99 cheese made this wine taste like twice the price. It reminds me of an Irish cheddar with a bit of nuttiness. A handful of toasted hazelnuts from Italy were mighty tasty with it as well.I stopped by Retz's Laconi's II on Sackett Avenue in Cuyahoga Falls last Tuesday to pick up a $10 pepperoni and mushroom pizza. It’s the best Tuesday-only special on the planet — you can get a 12-inch medium pizza with up to five toppings for a Hamilton.

The wine's cran-cherry flavors went perfectly with it, as well as a takeout order of egg rolls from Wise Guy’s Lounge & Grill and my homemade burrata and heirloom tomato salad with balsamic glaze.Some of the best things in life really are a screw-cap bottle of red wine and a great pizza.Buy this wine at Krieger’s Market in Cuyahoga Falls, Beau’s Market in Copley, Mustard Seed Market in Montrose, Western Reserve Wines in Solon, Buehler’s in Jackson Township, HomeBuys and The Barrel Room in North Canton, and Avenue Wine Shop and Meyers Lake Beverage & Drive Thru in Canton.

Celebrate 'Frasier' reboot with wine tasting

Western Reserve Wines is having a sherry wine tasting Oct. 11 to help usher in the reboot of the sitcom "Frasier," which airs the next night on Paramount+. Six sherry wine samples will be paired with Sweet Bean Candies’ chocolates. The pompous, wine-swilling shrink Dr. Frasier Crane was known to have a glass of sherry with his wine-snob brother Niles in the show. The event runs from 5-7 p.m. and costs $15.>>

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Enjoy the simple things with this red wine blend | Phil Your Glass