Venison

In a world of wimpy, thin merlots, this hearty example of the varietal certainly stands out -- especially at this price. It's a ripe, lush, dramatic red wine -- nothing elegant about it -- that rocks the palate with black-cherry, blackberry, chocolate and wild-game flavors. The alcohol level of 14 percent is well-concealed behind soft-textured fruit. One could object that it's as typical of syrah as merlot, but why quibble with a delicious, screw-cap-equipped wine that never will be tainted by a bad cork?

The Harford County Community Action Agency will sponsor a chili dinner to benefit the Harford County Fuel Fund from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday at the Churchville Presbyterian Church, at routes 22 and 136. Snow date is Feb. 8. The cost is $8 for adults, $4 for children younger than age 12 for buffalo chili, venison chili and a variety of other hot and mild blends, cornbread, peach cobbler and beverage (fruit drink or coffee). Take-out orders are available. For tickets and information: 410-638-3240 or 410-734-7934.

1998 Dry Creek Vineyard Old Vines Zinfandel, Sonoma County ($18). The 1998 vintage in northern California was not a kind one for zinfandel, and many respected producers turned in subpar performances. Not so with Dry Creek, whose Old Vines bottling is a rich, balanced, chunky and satisfying red wine with no obvious flaws. It's a meaty, earthy wine with plenty of blackberry and pepper flavor. Dry Creek manages to deliver impressive power without going over the top. Serve with grilled steak, venison or a hearty stew or pasta dish.

NORTHERN PIKE RECORD SET On March 1, James L. Gwynn III, 12, of Belle Vernon, Pa., caught 23-pound, 5-ounce northern pike in Maryland's portion of Youghiogheny Reservoir, breaking a state record set 10 months ago.Gwynn was bottom-fishing a minnow from shore when he caught the 44.5-inch fish.The previous record (22-13), was set by Tom Zombro of Hedgesville, W.Va., in May. Zombro also caught his fish from Youghiogheny Reservoir.THIS WEEKENDCold nights during the past week have slowed pond fishing, but the rivers are beginning to pick up a little.

NORTHERN PIKE RECORD SETOn March 1, James L. Gwynn III, 12, of Belle Vernon, Pa., caught a 23-pound, 5-ounce northern pike in Maryland's portion of Youghiogheny Reservoir, breaking a state record set 10 months ago.Gwynn was bottom-fishing a minnow from shore when he caught the 44.5-inch fish.The previous record (22-13), was set by Tom Zombro of Hedgesville, W.Va., in May. Zombro also caught his fish from Youghiogheny Reservoir.THIS WEEKENDCold nights during the past week have slowed pond fishing, but the rivers are beginning to pick up a little.

THE EPIPHANY for Rick Wilson came on a Virginia highway when he saw a bedraggled woman waving for help. She had found a road-kill buck deer in the brush and wanted to get it in her auto. "My kids and me are hungry," she tersely explained, as Mr. Wilson loaded the carcass into the trunk.That connection between desperate human hunger and the abundance of wild deer led to the Hagerstown man's involvement with a statewide group called Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry. The group aims to provide 250,000 pounds of venison a year to Maryland food banks and soup kitchens.

The Sunday dining review is of The Milton Inn in Sparks. The field stone building that houses the Milton Inn dates back to the mid-18th century. A restaurant has operated there since 1947, and the current ownership has been running things since 1997. So, how's it holding up? Pretty well, actually. And if you think the Milton Inn is one of those wax museums that pass for fine dining, think again. How about venison pate with figs, apricots and pistachios. Or homemade grits made with corn that was smoked on the premises.

1998 Paul Jaboulet Gigondas, "Pierre Aiguille" ($24). Looking for a fine gift for the coming holiday season? Or maybe just a classic, robust red wine to serve with a wintertime feast? This superb southern Rhone from the esteemed Paul Jaboulet firm offers deep raspberry and blackberry fruit, intense flavors, superb complexity and a velvety feel on the palate. Gigondas sometimes produces rather burly wines, but this is a big red with a touch of class. It has the capability to develop over the next five to 10 years, but it is so wonderful now that you could buy a case intending to save it and find it all gone by April.

I ate some squab. It was definitely delicious but I wondered about its legality.The delicious flavor had to do with the way the squab was prepared. It was roasted and stuffed with authentic, skillet-cooked corn bread, and with country ham. Pan juices figured in the preparation as well.The legality issue had to do with whether, under Maryland law, farm-raised squab could be considered "game taken from the wild." The law, written some 40 years ago, prohibits the sale or purchase of "any game bird or game mammal taken from the wild."

Washington -- An industrial chemical linked to the deaths of 16 pets and recall of more than 100 pet foods in the United States has been found in a third ingredient shipped from China, federal health officials said yesterday. Tests conducted by a South African pet food company, Royal Canin, found melamine in a shipment of corn gluten from China.