No Wimpy Posts

Greetings! Sorry about the absence but the Winedaddy has been curled up in the fetal position under his desk in major bread withdrawal since last Monday. I mean, come on! It ain't easy enjoying wine when you can't properly eat cheese and some crusty baguette to accompany it. But I've managed and seeing the finish line to the Matzoh Marathon in sight. In the meantime, I spent the better part of this past week reacquainting with an old friend and felt it was my duty to let the winedaddy reading public about him (or her...well, it's a Zinfandel so probably a him, but then again, women can definitely be spicy, so maybe it's a her?)

Ravenswood. It's a popular name. It's a popular wine. It's also possibly the first wine I ever had that made me realize there was more to life than just microbrews and house chardonnay. (insert wavy lines here and "flashback" music). The year was 1998 and the month was October. The young Winedaddy and his new Winegirlfriend (now the Winewife and Winemommy), took a trip to the California Wine Country. I knew little about wine but in the months leading up to the trip, I bought several books, including "Sip by Sip" a fabulous book by Michael Bonadies (the one time and possibly still wine director for the Deniro/Neiporent food empire known as the Myriad Restaurant Group).

I read it cover to cover and loved his easy going, unpretentious approach to learning about wines. It was my bible as we toured the wine country in search of new varietals I had never tried, including the grape that is native to California and basically put Napa and Sonoma on the map, Zinfandel.

I'm not talking about White Zin, the appalling "wine" that is actually popular in this country (thank you North Dakota!), I'm talking about the dark, thick, spicy stuff that grows in abundance in Sonoma. And no one does an approachable, affordable Zin better than Ravenswood in my humble opinion. It was the very first tour I ever had at a winery and I learned and loved every minute of it. (I still have my t-shirt that says "Maximize Polyphenolic Extraction" that I purchased on that trip.) To this day, I still think they make some of the best Zinfandels on the planet. Like their ubiquitous, Vintners Blend.

Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel (various vintages) $9.99 (approx)

This is my kind of wine. Cheap, strong, spicy, approachable. There's a reason Ravenswood has adopted the slogan "No Wimpy Wines." This is not a kind gentle Merlot or a soft, fruit-forward Pinot Noir. This is a take-no-prisoners, in your face Zinfandel, that actually goes down rather smooth for such a spicy wine. What I like most is how consistent this wine is from year to year and how you always know what you are going to get when you buy a bottle. Trust me, there's a reason accolade upon accolade has been bestowed on this wine. I just wish I hadn't forgotten about it while I stocked up on all the other stuff that's cluttering the Winedaddy's apartment at the present time. There's simply no more room in the wine fridge (or bank account) to bring a few bottles in from the cold. In due time old friend. In due time.