Pairing: Old Vine Red is a good match with hefty main dishes

Our Wine of the Week, Marietta Old Vine Red Lot Number 62 California Red Wine ($14), is delightful year after year. I have a particular fondness for this easy quaffer, as it is one of the wines that got me through the weeks following my first trip to France, when a nice glass of wine at a local cafe was not as easy to find here as at is now.

That said, the wine is clearly a California creature, with bright forward fruit and pretty threads of spice. Yet it is not a fruit bomb and its alcohol is manageable, 13.5 percent. There is a lush suppleness on the palate, without harsh or drying tannins. It is a great buy and a wine that will make a lot of people happy.

At the table, it has broad appeal. It works beautifully with humble foods such as burgers, spaghetti marinara, braised sausages, meatloaf and pizza, yet it is suave and focused enough to pair beautifully with more sophisticated fare, such as winter squash risotto, olive risotto, spaghetti Carbonara and rare skirt steak served over farro and topped with sautéed mushrooms.

For today’s recipe, I’ve chosen a vegetarian dish, with layers of earthy flavors that join together to form an engaging counterpoint to the wine’s fruit and to highlight its appealing spice. Vegetarians will love it and all but the most passionate carnivores should, too. If you absolutely must have a bit of meat with your red wine, use bacon fat instead of butter and top the ragout with three or four cooked and crumbled strips of bacon.

Quinoa-Chickpea Pilaf with Mushroom Ragout

Serves 4 to 6

3 tablespoons butter

1 small yellow onion, cut into small dice

2 garlic cloves, minced

- Kosher salt

1? cups quinoa, thoroughly rinsed

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth or stock, hot

1 bay leaf

2 cups, approximately, cooked chickpeas

- Black pepper in a mill

1½ pounds mixed mushrooms (see Note below), diced or broken into small pieces

1½ cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons créme fraiche, optional

3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Set a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, add 1 tablespoon of the butter and, when it is melted, add the onion and sauté until it is limp and fragrant, about 10 to 12 minute. Add the garlic and sauté 2 minutes more.

Season with salt.

Add the quinoa and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, the stock and the bay leaf, increase the heat and when the liquid boils, return the heat to low. Cover and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes. Lift the lid, quickly fold in the chickpeas and continue to cook until the liquid is absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes more.

Without lifting the lid, remove from the heat and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Uncover and remove and discard the bay leaf. Fluff the quinoa with a fork, correct for salt and add several turns of black pepper.

While the quinoa cooks, prepare the ragout. Put the remaining butter into a medium sauté pan set over medium-low heat and, when the butter is melted, add the shallots. Sauté gently until soft and fragrant, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté 2 minutes more. Season lightly with salt. Add the mushrooms and the wine, increase the heat to high and simmer, turning the mushrooms a few times, until the liquid is nearly completely evaporated. Return the heat to low and cook until the mushrooms are very tender. Stir in the créme fraiche and the parsley, taste, correct for salt and season generously with black pepper.

Divide the quinoa among individual bowls, top with the ragout and serve right away.

Note: Use any mushroom except shiitake or white button. Portobello, crimini, oyster, chanterelle and maitake - solo or together - work well in this dish.