Pairing: Syrah a delicious match for rich flavors

Our Wine of the Week, Enkidu 2013 Russian River Valley Odyssey Syrah ($38), is rich, complex and lush, with an earthy sensuality. It will delight anyone who prefers husky red wines with plenty of finesse.

The fruit is just this side of dense, with concentrated notes of ripe pomegranate, black raspberry and olallieberry. A buoyant acidity keeps the wine from verging into the ponderous and cool notes - think spearmint, camphor and eucalyptus - combine with the acid to create a refreshing dimension.

Complexity is completed by delicate spice, including allspice, bay, cardamom and white pepper. The earthy component is suggestive of a redwood forest as you stroll through it on a warm day, each footstep releasing sultry brambly aromas into the ether.

You’ll enjoy the wine with flavors that mirror its richness and intensity. Red meats are natural companions, with everything from steak au poivre blanc and braised duck legs to lamb Bolognese and slow-roasted pork with blueberry chutney happy companions. Beans are good matches, too, especially black beans.

Sweet potatoes, spaghetti squash, winter squash, lentils, whole grain pasta and Asian peanut sauces are flattered by this wine, as well. Slow-cooked greens - spinach, chard, kale - combined with garlic and cheddar cheese, roasted sweet peppers on sandwiches or tossed with pasta and Italian fontina, tomato galettes and tarts and ratatouille with oil-cured black olives flatter the wine beautifully, as does macaroni and cheese with bacon.

For something simple, slather a triple cream cheese - brie, Camembert, teleme or something similar - on a lightly toasted baguette and top it with Jimtown Store’s fig-olive spread.

For today’s recipe, inspiration comes from my own refrigerator, where leftover chicken drumsticks cooked in Korean barbecue sauce await. It’s a simple recipe and a humble one, easy to make on a weeknight and just about foolproof. And if you have leftovers, all you have to do is put them in a basket and head to a nearby park, forest or coast for an impromptu picnic. Don’t forget the wine!

Chicken Drumsticks in Korean Barbecue Sauce

Makes 4 to 6 servings

1 cup sushi-quality soy sauce

1/2 cup palm sugar or granulated sugar

3 garlic cloves, crushed and minced

8 green onions, trimmed and cut into very thin rounds

2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and grated

4 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons lightly toasted sesame seeds

12 chicken drumsticks, preferably from local pastured chicken

1 orange, cut into 1/4-inch thick half rounds

- Steamed rice, farro or quinoa, optional

Pour the soy sauce into a saucepan, add the sugar, set over low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Taste and correct the sweet-salt balance. Stir in the garlic, onions, ginger, sesame oil and sesame seeds, remove from the heat and cool.

Rinse the chicken under cool running water, pat it dry with a clean tea towel and put it into a 1-gallon-sized plastic freezer bag. Pour the cooled sauce into the bag and seal it, squeezing out the air as you do.

Refrigerate for at least 8 hours and as long as a day or two.

To finish, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Tip the contents of the bag into an ovenproof container - a 10-inch cast iron skillet works well - and cook in the pre-heated oven for about 25 minutes, or until the chicken is just cooked through.

Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Transfer to a serving platter, garnish with orange slices and serve right away, with rice, farro or quinoa alongside, if you like.

Michele Anna Jordan is the author of 24 books to date. Email her at michele@micheleannajordan.com.