where:
Peter Luger Steakhouse
178 Broadway
Brooklyn, New York

when:
midsummer

character:

California Cabernet is the Benny Goodman of the red wine world—its big, full, round, orchestral sound coming at you right away and always at full swing. Always the outsider, he had to fight his way into the Great Halls of European Taste, achieved a moment of singular triumph (his 1938 Carnegie Hall performance being the “Judgment of Paris” of jazz), began an era, and nothing has ever been quite the same since. A victim of his own success, he has the singular talent for winning both fans and awards, which of course makes him equally talented at making enemies, critics, and disbelievers. Neither he nor his many fans have seemed to mind much. Skepticism being a small price to pay for having finally given the world a serious red wine you can dance to.

tastes like:

"Sing Sing Sing" by Benny Goodman.

pairs nicely with:

Pete Luger’s, Belmont Park, and the 21 Club, preferably in that order; friends named Mack, Sully, Benny, Petey, (Mack’s brother) Sully, Mackey, O’Connell, O’Connor, Dougherty, (Sully’s cousin) Sully, Ronny, Nookie, and Maloney; being an American in Europe, being so obviously American in Europe that no one even bothers to ask if you are American, and being immensely proud of this achievement; USDA Prime Beef, Double Thick Lamb Chops, Pot Roast, Prime Rib, Porterhouse Steak, Extra Thick Bacon, sliced Tomatoes and Onions, German Fried Potatoes, and yes we will see the dessert menu thank you very much; racetracks, blackjack tables, stock exchange floors, poker tables, and anywhere else gambling takes place so long as one is being very American about it by: betting long, cheering loud, and cashing in your winnings.