Kenwood 2006 Sonoma County Merlot, $13-23.

Ron gave me, in his baker’s-dozen case at Christmas, a pair of Kenwood reds.

When you see Kenwood on the label, it’s going to be good. I think Ron’s merchant figured these two wines — a merlot and a cabernet sauvignon — to be better than good, at a decent price. We haven’t tried the cab yet. But last night we opened the merlot to go with an American comfort-food meal.

First, the wine. It’s delicious and perfectly balanced. It would go with anything, including many seafood dishes; and it’s great for drinking by itself (although if you’re going to do that, how about popping a nice chocolate treat with it?).

The label points out plum and berry flavors and soft, full mouthfeel. I agree.

But there’s more. Many people look for cherry hints in merlot, and this one has some. I was reminded of cassis liqueur, although it’s subtle. Point is, it’s not a simple wine even though it’s  labelled only with the broad Sonoma County appellation.

Just the right amount of alcohol — 13.5 percent — contributes to a rare overall balance, rare for a merlot at this price range. The color is a deep, blackberry red and it still looks young in the glass.

This wine won a bronze medal, by the way, in the Sonoma County Harvest Festival, which attracts many great wines. I might have judged it a silver, given its fine structure of firm tannins, clean, citric, lingering aftertaste.

Now for what I mean when I say you can enjoy this wine with anything.

Visiting our nearby ShoKoWah casino, Judy and I had gotten two pulled-pork tortilla wraps, so huge we brought one home. The meat needed more seasoning so I sliced the wrap in half, moistened each half with a tablespoon of olive oil, and added cumin, Trader Joe’s 21-seasoning salute herb blend, garlic granules and a shot of balsamic vinegar. This went into a convection oven for a few minutes at 400 degrees; I finished it with a slice of pepper jack and four more minutes in the oven.

To a pan of Kraft macaroni and cheese I added two pan-fried and chopped slices of bacon, plus some Velveeta and a couple of tablespoons of capers.

Steamed broccoli and carrot slices finished the offering. The Kenwood merlot hit all the right notes, as I’d expencted. Soon I’ll describe how I use the cabernet sauvignon. I hope I’ve convinced you that this quality, reasonably-priced and approachable merlot can go with just about anything! –Bob Cramer, The Fearless Taster.