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Shelton Vineyards near Dobson is a major player in the North Carolina wine industry, with far-flung distribution, enormous acreage, solid financial support at Surry Community College's viticulture program, political influence in Raleigh and, oh, it makes some nice wines.

Murphy Moore is the winemaker and any woman who says this is a woman after my own heart: "I'm a snob about many things, but not about wine. Sure, wine is a big part of my life, but I love beer. I love a good cigar, something from Nicaragua or Honduras. Oh, and coffee, coffee ... and more coffee."

There's just a hint of coffee overtones in the 2008 Merlot but you have to peel back plum, black cherry, raspberry, and cassis flavors and aromas of violets and lavender.

Merlot - despite the beating it took in the wine geek cult film "Sideways" - still has enormous market share, likely because of its fruit-forward character and soft tannins.

In wine-food pairings, red wines are generally paired with beef. This Merlot, I think, works well with this easy-to-prepare dish.

Ingredients

4 Cornish hens

Salt and pepper to taste

8 whole cloves garlic

8 rosemary sprigs

8 thyme sprigs

Glaze:

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup raspberry jam

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup Shelton Merlot

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash Cornish hens thoroughly and pat dry. Season the chickens all over and in the cavity with salt and pepper.

Stuff each chicken with 2 garlic cloves, and 2 sprigs each of rosemary and thyme. Set the chickens in a large roasting pan.

In a medium saucepan, bring the glaze ingredients to a boil and reduce. Baste the chickens with the glaze.

Roast the chicken for about 1 1/4 hours, basting twice while cooking, until an instant-read thermometer reaches 165 degrees when inserted into the thigh.

Let the chickens rest 10 minutes before carving.