Zin is not an easy grape from which to make fine wine. It ripens very unevenly - leading to clusters containing both harshly acidic, unripe grapes and very ripe grapes. It also has a thin skin that causes the ripe grapes to turn to raisins if not picked soon enough.
ruce Bauer, a wine aficianado and proprietor of VINO, a boutique wine shop in Portland, Oregon, shares some of his favorite moderate to low prices wines from the Pacific Northwest region and around the world.
Lodi has more than 100,000 acres of vines, more than twice the plantings of the entire Napa Valley. Nonetheless, the area has had a very low profile until recent years.
If California were a country, it would be the world's fourth largest wine producer, after Italy, France and Spain. Long planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc are also big varieties for us too.
Petite Sirah as a small, passionate following; goes well with food; is one of the few big reds that works with cheese; has a point of view and is not overexposed. It's like a "St. Bernard that wants to sit in your lap." It's that big and friendly.
California's first vineyards were planted starting in 1779 by Franciscan missionaries. The vines planted were what have become known as Mission grapes, or Criolla, a term that covers a few varieties traditionally used for sacramental wine.
The wine world includes a lot of small, family-owned producers. Many produce good wines, and a multitude don't. Occasionally, however, the results are outstanding -- truly among the ranks of the region's very best.
Zins, especially those made from low yielding, ancient vines can be as complex and balanced as any red wine. Others, however, are extremely high-alcohol fruit bombs.
Joel Peterson is a man who recognizes his good fortune. He is a spiritual man, with a love of the arts, a sense of humor, a sense of history, and an a...
Call us foodies, bon vivants, gourmands or (occasionally) gluttons; but as long as there are new countries to be explored and novel foods to be eaten, we will be there.
Each year as the temps drops to unbearable lows, I take solace knowing that I can open bottle after bottle of big, warm, jammy California red wine to snuggle up with and keep me warm.
Many people think of Italian wine as Chianti Classico, but truth is, there are about 1,500 grape varieties in Italy--more than any other wine growing area in the world.
Zinfandel, with its flavors of chocolate-covered black cherries and blackberry jam, is a real crowd-pleaser and it's a natural with spicy-sweet foods like barbecued ribs in raspberry-chipotle sauce.
