Make your pizza night complete with this Ransom Note red blend | Phil Your Glass

I was held hostage by hours of yard work one sunny day last week. Cooking dinner was the last thing on my mind.

When quitting time rolled around, I officially declared it stromboli night. My colleague Tawney Beans recently mentioned a new pizza place, Jack's Pizza, that opened in Brimfield. The photos published with her article made the pizza look tasty and authentic, so I thought I’d give the place a try.

Check out Jack's Pizza: Soul rolls, Big Mac pizzas: These 5 restaurants opened in Summit County in March

The aroma of my freshly baked carry-out Italian stromboli had me swerving all over Tallmadge Road as I traveled back to Cuyahoga Falls. I love the smell of fresh-baked anything.

A bottle of Ransom Note red blend was on my kitchen island waiting for my return. There’s much to like about this $19.99 blend of 50% cabernet, 25% merlot, 12.5% petit verdot and 12.5% malbec that gives way to captivating black raspberry and black current flavors in your glass.

Only 185 cases were made of this hidden gem from Washington State’s Columbia Valley. Give this beauty 15 minutes in a big bowl glass to reveal the wonderful leathery finish.

There are endless red wines that pair with pizza and stromboli. Ransom Note is one more for my go-to list. The rich fruit flavors (and no, that doesn’t mean this wine is a fruit bomb) balanced out the acidity of the marinara dipping sauce and the bit of spiciness from the pepperoni. I ordered mine with mushrooms and love the touch of earthiness that it adds.

The stromboli was plentiful enough to snack on the next night. The wine and the boli were both delightful as was a nibble of Prairie Breeze cheese that you can find at Heinen’s and Beau’s Market.

Brimfield now has a tasty trifecta with Joe’s Barbecue, the Brimfield Bread Oven, and Jack's Pizza.

More: Where is Joe's Barbecue? Food truck now makes monthly visits to North Water Brewing in Kent

You can buy this wine at Crave in downtown Akron, Krieger’s Market in Cuyahoga Falls, Beau’s Market in Copley, Cellar 59 in Stow, North End in Hudson, Buehler’s in Canton and Montavino Wine Market in Wooster.

When wine and bourbon collide

Congratulations to Towpath Distillery owner Anthony Piscazzi and head distiller David Sheffer for winning a gold medal in the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits competition for their Towpath Red Wine Barrel bourbon whiskey.

"It’s a four-year-old bourbon finished in a French oak red wine barrel that previously housed our homemade wines that my grandfather and I made,” Piscazzi said.

The barrel was previously used to make a cabernet and syrah blend with his grandfather Joe Piscazzi. The barrel gives the bourbon a rich color and some dried fruit notes.

"A gold medal is hard to get there," Piscazzi said. "We’re pretty proud of it."

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Email me at [email protected] with any wine questions and follow me on Instagram @pmasturzo_philyourglass

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Ransom Note red blend wine and Jack's Pizza stromboli a winning combo