I usually shy away from Cabs when choosing a dinner wine, unless we were pulling a steak off the grill that is. I am not sure why, if it’s a bias I have because of its reputation or if I am concerned it would over power whatever I just spent hours creating or I did not feel the meal warrants a wine that is usually one of the pricier in the collection. I do not shy away from it when out tasting, and we often purchase a few as well, but then they just sit there waiting for the “perfect meal”. Recently, however, we were out with friends and purchased a bottle to drink with our meal. It happened rather quickly and I was not able to give my input and before I knew it we had a bottle of Cab at our table and I had just ordered Mahi-mahi. Great, I thought, now I am not going to be able to enjoy my meal because the wine will totally dominate the fish, and I probably will not even like it that much. Much to my surprise they paired wonderfully. Since then I have paired Cabs with several other non-traditional Cab dishes. I have been intrigued that these big wines can become chameleons and pair with many dishes with very subtle flavors without losing any of their own appeal. They are not the bully I thought they were. I guess I have a little bit of a cab crush now.  Try it out for yourself and I think you will be surprised how a Cab can stand up to just about any big flavor yet not overpower some of the more subtle flavors. Let me know what you come up with.