Table of Contents
Hello all,
I got an email the other day that I haven't posted a
newsletter in quite awhile, so I promised that I would get
one off this week. So, let me bring you up to speed on things.
Currently, I have my hands in many pots and am waiting
for everything to cook up nicely. I have a wine magazine
project that I have to get to, which means more
responsibility on a number of levels. I am looking to put
together a list of stories and what not to do for each
section for at least three issues, and also the corporate
structure and agreements have to be done as well.
Next month is the Congressional Black Caucus and their
Annual Leadership Conference. I intend to be there from
Tuesday through Sunday, and am planning on attending the
Congressional Latino Caucus's awards gala that Tuesday
night. However, in true crazy fashion, I reconnected with
Etienne Hugel, head of Hugel & Fils. If at all possible,
I'll be in Manhattan for Frederick Wildman's portfolio
tasting that Wednesday (drive from Philly to DC on Tuesday;
Amtrak it to Manhattan and back to DC on Wednesday; drive
home to Philly on Sunday).
I broke, if not badly stubbed, a toe about four weeks
ago, so I laid off the gym, but still have been doing some
workouts at home. I've got my seated military press back up
to 450lbs! And I just turned 40 as well.
I'm monitoring a wine deal that I brought together,and
also trying to get back to focusing on the wine show concept
and another wine and food project that I would like Comcast
to pick up. Additionally, Al and I are looking at what it
would take to throw a serious party every three, four, or
six months, with open bar, serious entertainment and
luscious food. However, he's swamped, and I have no help in
this.
My time has been crazily divided between work, freelance,
and working on some other ideas. I am getting back into my
writing, and plan to launch another website with that (I
still have not gone Twitter yet). I am hoping that this
freelance jumps back off (it's a lot of hurry up and wait),
simply because I have the Caucus events (the cats will
probably have to be kenneled then, and that's expensive) and
all of this other stuff. I am not trying to pawn my
photography equipment!
Over the past three weeks, I have sampled two demi-sec
sparkling wines; one from Moet & Chandon, and the other
being a Veuve Clicquot. However, the best thing I did have
was the Rosenblum Cellars Sonoma Valley Zinfandel, which is
off the hook! I highly recommend that you try it.
Well, that's it. Send blessings and what not my way folks.
Friday, August 20, 2010
- That all zin is white zin
- When a person of color orders a glass of
zinfandel in a bar, they mean white zinfandel
- That white zinfandel is either white in color,
or a white grape
- That true zinfandel
must/should be referred to as red zinfandel
- That zinfandel is not a robust wine, but always
tastes sweet like candy
- That white zin
is a quality wine
- That primitivo is the
father of zinfandel
- That Cabernet
Sauvignon is the king of red wines
Now that all of that has been put out there on
the table, let's get down to business. This year, I have
been on both a zinfandel and a pinot gris search. These
have become two of my favorite varietals, and I have found
extreme pleasure in the offerings of Rosenblum Cellars. I
can say that it's definitely not safe to drink a bottle of
his Sonoma County zin at three in the afternoon; it started
me off on a fun-filled day which had some of my wine
hospitality at its best.
Zin is such a
wonderful grape that most of the public truly know nothing
about. For a true wine drinker, there is nothing more
embarrassing than to have someone in your party ask for a
glass of white zin; of course this can be exceeded with them
either adding ice cubes to the glass or drinking the wine
through a straw!
Outside of the state
of California, I would bet that most of your average and
newfound wine drinkers don't realize that zinfandel produces
a great, robust wine packed with flavors of dark plums,
black cherries, and cocoa. Ladies, did you hear that?!
Cocoa means chocolate, and if pair that with a nice
zinfandel… well, I don't want to even say what the outcome
would be.
In the past year, I have tried
a number of zins, some more hype than delivery, and even
some wines made with zin in them (Cannonball Cabernet
Sauvignon comes to mind). Most of the zins I have had I
would give them between 85 and 95 points on a scale to
one-hundred, and they are definite ladykillers. And while
we have been bombarded with white zin, I would actually long
for a blush wine made from zinfandel, but with the power and
complexity of a nice [full] zin.
Zinfandel wines should be full-bodied, giving
them the aspect of sweetness without technically being
sweet. Producing one with anything less than a medium body
would be a crime against the grapes themselves, and an
extreme waste of time and the winemaking process. Of
course, this doesn't mean that no one has spent months, if
not years, producing something that would be total
crap.
In fact, I think that zin is so
important in the American wine experience – true zin, that
is – that I am building a website focused on getting people
away from white zin and onto true Zin. I probably won't
finish it for at least one month, but it's in the
works.
As far as the zin assumptions
listed, I am not going to go through any of them, because
you should realize that I simply listed them as a way of
showing what isn't correct. Hopefully, you'll go out of
your way to discover the beauty of zinfandel in it's truest
forms. And if you find something good, please get me a
bottle as well.
A knockout in both alchololic power and a cocoa that sneaks up on you
| Brand Name | Rosenblum Cellars |
| Wine Name | Sonoma County Zinfandel |
| AVA | Sonoma Valley |
| Country | United States |
| Wine Class | Red |
| Wine Type | Zinfandel |
| Alcohol Percentage | 15.5% |
| Price | $10 - $20s |
| Site Rating | 10 (on a scale of 1-10) |
One of the labels that I have come to love is Rosenblum
Cellars, and they seem to never disappoint me. The only
problem is that there are no stores that I know of that
carry all of their wines, so it takes awhile for me to find
something that I haven't had before by them. However, this
time around, the North Coast Zin was gone, and the Sonoma
County was in its place.
Upon swelling the wine, the first thing that hits you is
its power, and that is the result of the alcholol percentage
of 15.5, which is high in a wine.
On tasting the wine, I found the flavor to be quite
demure at first (well, I had just eaten some jerk chicken),
with the cocoa/chocolate aspects opening up like a flower in
bloom. It wasn't too much, but balanced perfectly with the
very deep, but not intense, flavor of dark fruits (plums and
cherries).
This wine can definitely set off a serious romantic
endeavour!
|
Nice apricots and biscuits
| Brand Name | Piper Sonoma |
| Wine Name | Blanc de Blanc |
| AVA | Sonoma Valley |
| Country | United States |
| Wine Class | Red, White |
| Wine Type | Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir |
| Alcohol Percentage | 12.5% |
| Price | $10 and Unders |
| Site Rating | 8 (on a scale of 1-10) |
A lovely ambrosia! This sparkling beauty isn't bad, and
it conveys some nice citrus/apricot with a back-end of
pastry that reminds me of pot pie. As an inexpensive
bubbly, this wine rocks!
|
Dry strawberries and pastry
| Brand Name | Jean Paul - Trocadero |
| Wine Name | Rose |
| Country | France |
| Wine Class | Red, White |
| Wine Type | Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir |
| Alcohol Percentage | 12% |
| Price | $10 and Unders |
| Site Rating | 8 (on a scale of 1-10) |
I have had their plain/standard brut wine, and this was
the first time that I tried their rose. It's decent, with a
dry strawberry that reminds me of another rose. Lovely
bubbly, with a fruit forward feel, this wine would go
perfect as the start of a wonderful romantic encounter.
|
Not bad, not bad at all
| Brand Name | Piper Sonoma |
| Wine Name | Blanc de Noir |
| AVA | Sonoma Valley |
| Country | United States |
| Wine Class | Red |
| Wine Type | Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir |
| Alcohol Percentage | 12% |
| Price | $10 - $20s |
| Site Rating | 8 (on a scale of 1-10) |
My favorite [so far] type of traditional bubbly is Blanc
de Noir, because it focuses on the dark grapes, Pinot Noir
and Pinot Meunier. This wine was suprisingly refreshing
with a very clean taste with hints of berries which precede
a nice sharp tang that in turn becomes a nice silky finish
reminding you of toast or pastry crust.
|
The producer redeemed itself
| Brand Name | Goats do Roam |
| Wine Name | White 2009 |
| Country | South Africa |
| Wine Class | White |
| Wine Type | Grenache Blanc, Roussane, Viognier |
| Alcohol Percentage | 14% |
| Price | $10 and Unders |
| Site Rating | 8 (on a scale of 1-10) |
54% Viognier (a wild and wonderful grape), 40% Grenache
Blanc and 6% Roussanne, this wine is a nice refreshing
treat, neither overriding you with flavor, nor lacking it,
this wine delivers peach, pear and apricot.
The texture is great (just a little more viscuous) and
the finish is affable, if not divine.
Now, I have to try the red.
|
