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North Carolina sometimes struggles to get depth of color and complexity from its reds. Here, Westbend winemaker Mark Terry hits the, well, mark. He says he locked it up in barrel for 24 months - a little longer than most winemakers. It spent 18 months in neutral oak barrels and six months in new oak, which accents the sweet kiss and spiciness of vanilla. Dark red berry fruit, chocolate and leather assert themselves.

Westbend Vineyards opened in the 1970s and is widely regarded as North Carolina's pioneer with traditional Europeans grapes, Merlot among them. We thought these two classics should meet.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs. veal cutlets

½ cup seasoned bread crumbs

½ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

¼ cup Westbend Vineyards 2008 Merlot

2 cups tomato sauce (recipe follows)

1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:

• Prepare tomato sauce (see recipe below).

• Heat oven to 350°. Mix bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a flat dish. Coat the veal with the mixture. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over moderately high heat and sauté veal for 2 1/2 minutes on each side. Transfer the veal to a plate.

•  Add wine to skillet and deglaze, stirring and scraping up brown bits. Add deglazed wine to tomato sauce and stir well. In a 11"x7"x2" baking dish, place half of the veal in a single layer and spoon half of the sauce over the veal. Sprinkle with half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat with the remaining veal, sauce, and cheese. Bake uncovered about 20 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is golden.

Tomato sauce:

• (2) 28 oz cans diced tomatoes, drained

• 5 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 cup onion, finely chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 teaspoons dried oregano

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

In a bowl, toss tomatoes with basil and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Heat butter and olive oil in a 3 quart saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring until softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until sauce begins to thicken about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.