For Wine Blog Wednesday #5 = Wrongo Dongo

It's time I start actually posting here again. What better occasion to ressurect this moribund thing than with my first contribution to World Wide Wine Blog Wednesday!



Wrongo Dongo has them ALL beat in the wacky name department.

I first came across this little seven dollar number one afternoon in my friendly neighborhood wine store.
"Wanna try something really fun?" Bill, the clerk, asked me, eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.
He handed me the bottle and grinned. "This is alot of fun. It's from the Jumilla region of Spain, it's what the Spanish call Monastrell or Mataro. The French call it Mourvedre."
I know Mourvedre, and Bill knows my love of sturdy workhorse Rhone varietals, so I figured, why not?
The nose was at once familliar. It reminded me of the old compost heap in the backyard- coffee grounds and eggshells mouldering under a wild blackberry bush. Wet earth and sidewalks. I like such memories when I stick my nose in the glass. But the first mouthful was almost a shock. It was thick and greasy and tasted of wet leather and blackberry jam, an earthy, meaty taste that almost made me wince. I wasn't entirely turned off, but intrigued enough to empty my glass and fill another. "Hey everybody! Check out this crazy wine!" The same awkward initial reaction, but the eventual acceptance, and finally, enjoyment. "I gotta get me some of that!" They all said, grabbing their coats. I suppose that's the "fun" aspect of it that Bill spoke of. How something can grow on you.
Is Wrongo Dongo bad wine? No, of course not. Is Wrongo Dongo great wine? No, of course not. Is Wrongo Dongo good wine? Sure. It's definately not for everyone, but it roused me from my Cotes du Rhone slump and kept me interested while I finished the bottle. It went great with a Tuesday night roasted chicken, even better with a leftover slab of prime rib just warmed over.
I included a bottle of the Dongo in a gift basket I assembled for a friend of mine. A week later, I recieved a cryptic email from him. All it said was - "The Dongo doesn't f- around." True dat!

More information about World Wine Wine Blogging Wednesday here!
And make sure you check out all the Wacky Wine Names at Chez Pim!