Denner Zinfandel.... boom!

I opened the 2007 Denner Zinfandel 2 nights ago. The nose, smell, aroma, whatever... was sweet and spicy... nutmeg? cinnamon? not sure.. but it was very pleasant.

I swirled my glass a bit... and the wine coated the inside of the glass like lacquer... paint...

I tasted it.

I digress here: this wine is 16% alcohol. 16%. It's freaking HUGE! And here I was trying to drink it without any food pairing....

I've had port wines before... liked 'em. The Denner Zinfandel needs food... or 99% Cacao. So, I broke out the darkest chocolate I could find.

.........aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah..... much better.

This wine is not for the faint of heart. It's bold, fruity, spicy, and it will get you freaking wasted if you sit down and drink the whole bottle. It's good that it's such a full-bodied bold and fruit-forward wine... you don't need much... a glass or two will do it.

I'm thinking it's a nice wine to pair with the Arnie Morton's Hot Chocolate Cake... but that's just my opinion.

Not what I expected but, delicious all the same!

Cheers!

Damn good deal on Columbia Crest at Ralph's....

Okay. Right now... until the end of today (I think), Ralph's Grocery is selling all Columbia Crest Grand Estates wines for $7.99 per bottle.... the Two Vines and Vineyard 10 are only $5.49. If you buy 6, you get an additional 10% off.

By taking advantage of this (which I did this morning), you can buy highly rated wines for a great price:

2006 Grand Estates Cabernet - WS - 89 points
2005 or 2006 Grand Estates Merlot - WS - 88 points
2006 Two Vines Cabernet - WS - 87 points
2006 Grand Estates Chardonnay - WS - 90 points
2005 Vineyard 10 Red - WS - 88 points

I challenge you to find a better deal on better wines.

Cheers!

I like screw tops but I SAVE CORKS

There. I said it. I like screw tops. I like cork, too. Actually, it's the stuff in the bottle that I like the most.... funny thing though - the wine doesn't last, the screw top - along with the bottle get tossed.... but, I SAVE CORKS!!!

My goal is to make a coffee table with a sheet of glass over the corks - neatly arranged with the winery name facing up... I don't know if this is bragging about all of the different wines I've tasted or if it's confessing to how much alcohol I've consumed.

The timeline for my cork collection is not up for discussion.

That said, I like corks - I like the way they look - I'm still trying to figure out how those little logos get printed on them and why some corks are harder to put back into the bottle than others.... before drinking wine, I thought cork was cork.

Now, after this little discourse on how much I like cork.... unscrewing a cap, although not with the same kind of romantic element of anticipation as a cork, is simple and the wine gets out of the bottle faster.

Cheers!

Location, Location, Location

Why are wine grapes grown in amazingly beautiful areas? Is it the grapes over rolling hills that create the majesty or are the vineyards merely an enhancement to a beauty that is already there?

One of my favorite things to do is drive the back roads at Paso Robles, Los Olivos, Santa Ynez, or Sonoma County. Although Napa certainly is beautiful, the other areas I mention are predominately made up of winding roads through hills and valleys... sharp turns... actually, quite fun... and beautiful.

For me, this adds so much to the romanticism that I associate with enjoying fine wine or even just tasting... it's almost like disappearing into another time and space.

You see, I grew up in a town called Paradise, CA... a place with rivers, trees, and - you got it - winding roads... roads that don't even have yellow or white lines dividing opposing traffic. However, for the last 25 years, I've lived in Los Angeles. Living in the city has given me a perspective on the areas where what I call the blood of the earth grows.

We keep saying that, someday, we're going to live in one of these areas... or nearby. That hope and dream is still alive and I give it over to timing as several family schedules and educational/graduational events need to coincide for the timing to be right. But, when those planets collide, we're there.

The wine is wonderful. The locations are beautiful. The experience is unforgettable.

Paso Robles.... quick trip...

Okay. Visited Denner Vineyards on Wednesday. I had much driving to do so I decided that one wine-tasting visit was all that was appropriate... stopped at Denner and tasted their 2007 Zinfandel, 2005 Syrah, and 2006 Ditch Digger.

Damn, these guys do a nice job! The Zinfandel is phenomenal... just wildly spicy and filled with wild berry flavors... and the finish hung around like someone in line for ride a Disneyland. Exciting wine!

From there, I dropped off a couple of bottles (from my cellar) as a gift to a friend, and continued my journey to Berkeley to pick up my daughter.

That's it. I love what they are doing at Denner; if you're in the Paso area, check 'em out.

Cheers!

Passing through Paso...

This week I drive up to Berkeley to pick up my daughter.... this is always a joyful occasion as we are a very close family and we're looking forward to a few days together. Meanwhile, driving from Los Angeles to the Bay Area also presents another opportunity... to cruise on up the 101...

This charts a course through Santa Barbara and Paso Robles... certainly presenting opportunities to stop in and see what's going on at some of the local wineries...

On this trip, I will most likely stop at Denner and Justin... two of my favorite wineries. The folks there are as hospitable as can be and the wines are always fun and tasty. It's also possible that I'll make a stop in Los Olivos... perhaps taste some Andrew Murray (in the words of Miles from Sideways, "Well Okay").

The highlight, of course, is picking up my daughter. But along the way, stopping by wineries is much more fun than just cruising non-stop on the freeway.... maybe I'll check hotwire.com or priceline.com and book a room - turn the whole thing into a mini-vacation.

Cheers!

More on wine shopping....

In a recent post, I listed several wine stores that I frequently shop at. Most were large warehouses that typically have large inventories or buy such large quantities of wine that they are able to discount prices significantly... this is great, especially when I'm looking to buy a few cases of the stuff.

However, I don't want to discount (pun intended) the local small wine stores. There's something very cool and personal with the little neighborhood wine store. For one, they are usually a bit nicer and friendly than the folks moving large amounts of merchandise. Second, they tend to make honest attempts at stocking wines that can't easily be found elsewhere... they are especially good places to avoid all of the big name popular brands that are typically found in every major supermarket. (Side note - ever notice how Ralph's, Von's, Safeway, Albertson's, etc all have the same wines?)

One of my favorite local stores is Vinatero in Whittier, CA. Lisa and Ernie are two of the kindest and hospitable folks you're likely to meet. They also have a passion for wine and even a greater passion for helping their customers enjoy their wine experience to its' fullest. They have a very nice inventory - diverse both in varietals and in price. For instance, you can find wines from Kosta Browne, Justin, and Sea Smoke as well as wines from Mollydooker, R Wines, and Poppy. It's a fun place for good conversation, a nice tasting menu, and good tunes piped into the store.

Perhaps you have a store near you like Vinatero... I'd like to hear about it. Cheers!