The WinePost©

[droner]

The WinePost©

"Hey Man, I'm drinking wine, eating cheese and catching some rays."
Donald Sutherland as Oddball
in "Kelly's Heroes"

I am a Zin fan. Zinfandel is my second favorite red varietal, behind only Cabernet Sauvignon. I'm not talking about white Zinfandel, the sweet pink wine. I mean the hearty, full-bodied California red.

Zinfandel usually elicits extreme responses from wine drinkers: Love it or hate it. The "take it or leave it" crowd is sparse. Maybe those who don't like it have never had a good one. More likely is the fact that Zinfandel can just be too bold a wine for some people. There is nothing subtle about it. Upfront dark fruit flavors are followed by spice and pepper. And then there's the alcohol.

Because of the high sugar content of the Zinfandel grape, fermentation can result in eye-popping alcohol levels. Zins now regularly contain levels of alcohol well into the 15% range and frequently over 16%. The ability to control the heat from the high alcohol is a major factor that separates good Zins from bad. Failure to tame the heat can result in a wine that's just too hot and spicy, overwhelming the fruit and destroying the balance.

Those unfamiliar with Zinfandel should start with wines in the 14% to 15% range. The trend in California with red wines has been a constant increase in the alcohol content. This is especially so with Zins. Also, drink it with a meal. A juicy steak or a rack of ribs will let this excellent wine show its best.

Tonight's feature: Ridge Cellars Zinfandel, Dry creek Valley, East Bench (2009)($26.00)(15.1% alcohol)

I've posted in the past of how I've been enjoying the Zinfandels made by Turley Wine Cellars which I have purchased using the allocation of my Gator pal and fellow barrister CONSIGLIEREG8R. You probably won't ever be able to come across Turley wines, unless you share a bottle with me which is impossible since I don't exist. But there are other good Zins that I like. Tonight's feature is from a winery that produces a large amount of Zins. They have many different vineyards and you can usually find Ridge in any wine shop. If you can't find this exact one, don't worry. The wines from their other vineyards are also excellent.




 

Enjoy!

art by artzcatz

[101stDad]

That's something we have in common, then. 

Mrs. 101st and I are big Zin fans, too.  After Malbec, Zin is my favorite red.  Since I do a lot of grilling in the summer, Zin is a staple since it goes well with the spicy barbecue sauces and rubs we enjoy on our grilled meats. 

On the white zin, as I told you before we enjoy a white zin, as well.  For us that is a "sitting on the deck in the evening" choice that I enjoy with a good cigar.

Our favorite white is a Pinot Grigio.   

[droner]

Who are you? You're not the 101stDad that I used to know.   

I'm glad you're enjoying wine. And from the sound of it, you've been enjoying quite a lot of it. 

If you like pink wine, try a Rosé, dry or off-dry.

[101stDad]

Who are you? You're not the 101stDad that I used to know.   

I'm glad you're enjoying wine. And from the sound of it, you've been enjoying quite a lot of it. 

If you like pink wine, try a Rosé, dry or off-dry.

Will do on the pinks.  We've been learning the basics of the reds and whites thus far.  Other than white zin, we haven't really gotten much in to the pinks to this point.  Actually, it is Mrs. 101st who is the bigger white zin fan.  As it usually happens, we have different favorites.  I am a red wine guy, while she prefers the whites. 

Women.  As Flounder said, "can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em."