Wine of the Week: 2007 Hey Mambo Sultry Red

Hey mambo, mambo Italiano!

We can't get the tune (sung by Dean Martin, of course) out of our heads since we discovered the 2007 Hey Mambo Sultry Red (about $12 at wine shops). It's a California blend, not Italian, but Dino would go for it anyway, we're pretty sure. Hey Mambo is a real party animal: vivacious, gregarious, robust and bawdy but civilized, the kind of guest who might not be the center of attention but nonetheless is the engine that drives the party into the wee hours.

This deep ruby, full-bodied, mouth-filling, even voluptuous wine is an astonishingly successful blend of six grapes: syrah, barbera, zinfandel, petite syrah, malbec and alicante bouchet. Ripe dark fruits dominate the nose, while on the palate this lush wine revels in waves of black currant and black cherry, chocolate, spices and black pepper, with pleasing hints here and there of mellow tobacco and leather. The result is so luscious you almost hate to swallow, but when you do you'll find that this "bistro style wine" finishes as smoothly and satisfyingly as it begins.

Hey Mambo will go beautifully with just about any party fare done on the grill, from brats to ribs to spice-rubbed pork tenderloin, as well as with old buffet table standbys like Buffalo wings and Swedish meatballs. It would be just as welcome at a sit-down dinner featuring steak au poivre or game.

By Colette and John Bancroft. She is the Times' book editor, and he is a freelance writer specializing in food, wine and travel.