My fellow countrymen (and women), do you have any Ryder Cup traditions at your house or club?

I mean besides weeping bitter, bitter tears?

One tradition that Coach Faldo would like to see us adopt on this side of the pond is sipping some of his Nick Faldo Selection 2005 Shiraz.

Last night I popped the cork on a bottle of Faldo’s vino, and threw together a pre-Ryder Cup dinner for my wife and myself: grilled porterhouse steaks, roasted rosemary and garlic fingerling potatoes with onions, and fresh organic wax beans sautéed in sunflower oil with sunflower nuts, garlic, and lemon juice.

The tasting notes on the label and the flyer that came with my bottle mentioned plum and raspberry flavors. There was definitely plum and berry, but I got blackberry instead, and a hint of anise. The tannins filled in the finish nicely though, and it paired wonderfully with my rare steak and even the beans (which my wife told me were too citrusy). I think it would be superb with lamb too, but I couldn’t find any good fresh lamb late yesterday.

At about $20-$25 a bottle, Faldo’s shiraz is a solid buy. My wife, who often finds shirazes too acidic, enjoyed this one quite a bit, saying it didn’t “burn” like some of the more modestly priced plonk I usually buy.

And to answer the question posed in the title: If this is what U.S. defeat tastes like, well, it’s actually pretty delicious.

Faldo’s 2005 Shiraz is delicious, but the black label doesn’t exactly jump off the shelf at you

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