Busy week = not enough studying. Still, I managed to crack open a text or two (you thought I was going to say bottle or two, didn’t you? OK, I did that as well…) to remind myself about the splendour to be found in California wines.
Today I’ll begin exploration of California Zinfandel. Yum yum yum…
Curiously enough, this is another wine that has earned scorn from serious wine drinkers. Why? White Zin, my friend: that sticky-sweet concoction that too many wine drinkers still think represents rosé wine. I will rant about the true beauty of rosés in a future post, but for now, please let us agree that White Zinfandel is a special category of rosé wine that has little to do with either proper rosés or real Zinfandel.
In an unexpected way, Zinfandel holds a special spot in my own history with wine. Early 90’s. Victoria. Studying towards my MBA. Meeting fiancé J– at the Herald Street Cafe for a birthday dinner. I am early and he is late. Tired of waiting, I decide to go ahead and order something to sip on. At this time in my life, I was mostly drinking white wine and Grower’s Apple Cider. (Yes, pity me.) I perused the wine list, and recognizing very little on it, found the word “Zinfandel” and decided to order a glass of that – thinking, of course, that it was that lovely sticky sweet pink stuff that I had enjoyed before. I didn’t even know there was a red wine called Zinfandel.
The waiter brought my wine – it was a very busy night and he was very rushed, so I didn’t get the chance to protest that he had got my order wrong. I stared into the purple, inky depths of my glass. Until that time, I had only had a sip or two of actual red wine, finding it too strong to enjoy. Well, that night was a revelation. I pulled my Big Girl boots on and decided to give it a try… and my life changed in an instant. Who knew that red wine could be so spectacular?? So rich, silky, heady, jammy and imminently quaffable? My world opened…
Thus, California Zinfandel is about as far away from White Zin as possible: it’s rich, intense, tannic, and solid. This is a heavyweight red, suitable for matching with steak and prime rib roast on a chilly winter’s evening. If you like Australian Shee-raz, you should definitely try out Zin if you have not enjoyed it before. It has the same proclivity for rich jamminess, and can get to very high sugar levels, so the alcohol can easily reach 16% or even higher. Rumour has it that when the Zin producers in California fail to keep their alcohol levels within the legal range (15% max in the US), they simply keep the hot batches to enjoy themselves, and give to family and friends. Nice thought, though I am sure most operations these days keep a careful watch on the fermentation to keep every possible drop sellable…
Zinfandel, when done well, shows plum, raspberry, cherry or blackberry fruit (blueberry if it’s a bit unripe). Cocoa, spice and pepper add complexity, as does the oak it is often aged in. Match it with beef, lamb, BBQ or sausages. It is a cool weather delight. It’s a life changer. It’s… Zinfandelic, dude.
Zinfandelic!
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