Red Wine of the Week | Red Wine Reviews

Reds and Rosés you can grab in the Twin Cities for under $15. Expect a new wine to be revealed each Thursday(ish).

Ravenswood Vintner’s Blend Old Vine Zinfandel vs. Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel

Cost: Average price $9

Where buy now: Haskell’s – $7.99

Grapes: Ravenswood Vintner’s Blend: 76% Zin, 15% Petite Sirah, 6% Carignane, 3% Syrah

Gnarly Head: 77% Zin, 23% Petite Sirah

Region: California

Vintage: 2010

Ravenswood Vintner’s Blend vs. Gnarly Head

Recently, I’ve received several requests for Zinfandel recommendations. To that I say: get your butt on a plane to San Fran, drive up to Sonoma County and drink yourself stupid with Zin. Actually, wait until early October for three huge reasons. 1.) Fall Crush- harvest season of a new vintage year, 2.) Fewer crowds, 3.) Hardly Strictly Bluegrass [HSB]- a FREE 3-day music festival in Golden Gate Park. Acts such as Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, and The Flatlanders are annual staples, and we’ve seen everyone from Steve Martin to John Prine to Mavis Staples. I cannot tell you how magical this festival is. You never feel you’re in a park with 350,000 others, though they do make it clear that there is no smoking CIGARETTES in the park (read: anything else is A-OK). This is how I fell in love with San Francisco; this is how I fell in love with Zinfandel.

The Zinfandel grape is originally from Croatia and managed to find its way to the US sometime in the mid-1800s. For wine to bear the name “Zinfandel”, 75% or more must be of the Zinfandel grape. I picked up two: Ravenswood Vintner’s Blend and Gnarly Head. Ravenswood Vintner’s Blend is a combo of award winning wines and carefully selected bulk wines, blending four different grapes. Gnarly Head is produced in Lodi, CA, known for its hot & dry climate. The grapes are exposed to more intense sunlight than typical wine grapes, which increases the fruit’s potency. Also, these grapes hail from free-standing 35-80 year old gnarled vines, unlike being grown on a trellis.

Back in Minnesota on a cold Valentine’s Day, I was craving ribs, and my husband didn’t put up a fight. He went to pick ‘em up, so I hit the wine store for Zinfandel [teamwork!].

Ted Cooks Ribs-RibZin 2012
Ted Cooks Ribs-RibZin 2012

Drooling head first, I dove right in to the ribs. We adore the ribs from Ted Cook’s BBQ Hole in South Minneapolis, so we got a full rack with medium sauce. [Yes, a FULL rack- we don’t eff’around!.] Smacking our lips and licking our fingers raw, we alternately sipped each wine to judge how they stood up to BBQ.

Both wines were pleasant. They each have an intense ripe berry aroma, deep ruby hues in color and decent legs [“legs” are judged by how far it seeps down the inside of your glass and refers to alcohol content]. These were both concentrated, flavorful wines with a hint of oak and spice often found in Zin. However, the wines differed in tannin strength and finish. The Ravenswood had a softer finish, a more rounded tannin structure, and a hint of smokiness. The Gnarly Head had more tartness, stronger tannins and a longer finish. It seemed to have a few other characteristics like a toasted oak and peppery spice to it. The stronger finish could hold up to the intensity of the BBQ, and thus paired better.

I suggest pairing the Gnarly Head with BBQ over Ravenswood, but if I was just casually sipping, I may choose the Ravenswood. In truth, I’d buy either one again, but likely gravitate toward the one with the better price. You can’t go wrong either way now, as they are both $7.99 at Haskell’s. Both of these wines are fairly common around town [I also saw Gnarly Head for $7.99 at Costco] so again, choose the one that costs less.

Zinfandel is a peculiar, somewhat polarizing grape. I noticed that West Coast folk seem to have the type of pallet to really dig Zin. I’ve also noticed that wine newbies find it a bit strong and tannic. Keep trying, I say: practice makes perfect! Try picking up 2-3 from the same year around the same price range and start forming your own opinions. Or, hell, zip out to San Francisco (say hello to my cuz Mark and his gal Rach) and shoot up to Sonoma. Just be sure to get a hotel room so you can happily collapse in your Zin-induced coma.

 

 

Bodegas San Valero – Manyana

Cost: Average price $6-$7

Where buy now: Haskell’s – $4.99

Grapes: Tempranillo

Region: Carinena, Spain

Vintage: 2010

Bodegas San Valero Manyana

It truly does not get more bang-for-buck than this $4.99 beaut’. Simply put: 100% Tempranillo wine; dark, ruby red in color, with smells of cherries, smoke, maybe a hint of plum. A little fruity, but with a hint of oaky spice, the taste is pleasant and mild. The finish doesn’t last long but, really, who cares? It’s $4.99. (You get an entire 750mL bottle for $4.99.)

If you aren’t a huge wine drinker, pick this up. If you are a huge wine drinker, and you are reading this during liquor store hours, leave now. [Did I mention the $4.99 price tag?] Perhaps it’s just the 2010 vintage, but this sucker goes down easy like a Sunday morning.

This is quite a versatile, medium-bodied red that would go well with typical Minnesota meat and potatoes fare. It would also go well with ribs, pork chops, or tacos. You could enjoy it with some tapas such as olives, almonds and Spanish Serrano ham (Trader Joe’s Serrano would pair nicely on a budget). Or, here’s a great movie snack: a bottle of $4.99 Manyana, a bag of Sweet Potato tortilla chips (on sale at Cub Foods for $2 and change), and mango salsa.

I insisted my husband try this wine immediately after he walked in the door that evening. I’m sure he was thinking “Ah, another cheap wine. Glory.” He took a few sips, and gave me an atypical “what is this?!?!?”. I told him it was $4.99. His next question was “Can we buy a case?” He NEVER asks if we can buy a case. If you didn’t catch this factoid earlier, Manyana Tempranillo costs $4.99.

You are welcome.

Parducci Sustainable Red

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Parducci Sustainable Red
Parducci Sustainable Red

I’m no hippy. The circular dancing, patchouli stink, and ultra-expensive patchwork clothing (did you know you can make hemp out of rope, man?!?!) have never appealed to me. That said, I truly care about where food, wine, clothing and other consumer products come from.

I worked in the natural and organic industry for a few years and even loved some of the companies I worked with. When I learn how great a company or organization is to their employees and the land, I’m simply more apt to buy their products. That isn’t to say that some companies don’t just slap an “eco-friendly, we love everyone” kinda label on their item, because a whole lotta them do. Later, you come to find out that A) the item is gross, on a par with the gustatory sensations found in dirt or sawdust. B) the whole earth-muffin thing is hog-wash (in aroma if nothing else) and it was all a marketing scam C) Tom’s of Maine or D) all of the above.

Strike a balance between quality products and ethical practice? That is applaudable, I say. Such is the case with Parducci Vineyards. Parducci is family owned and operated, running on 100% green power.Their grapes come from local family farms and were the first U.S. carbon-neutral winery utilizing solar & wind power in addition to conserving water. Check it out: www.parducci.com/Parducci-Green

Enough of the warm fuzzies, let’s get up in this bottle! I love how Sustainable Red is a blend that contains 6% “miscellaneous”. WTF? What’s clear is that this is a well-crafted mix (not a ‘they’re cooking our garbage’ blend of entrails)- a tried and true Cali table wine. It has the usual red berry fruit flavor due to the Merlot, Syrah, and Petite Sirah influences, yet the Zinfandel adds some deep color and spice to the mix. Nothing unsavory, but with a balanced smack resulting in a charming daily sipping wine.

Drink it throughout the week, either alone, maybe with pasta and spicy arrabiata sauce, or even grilled pork chops sprinkled with bleu cheese. This red is smooth with a soft finish.

Smooth wines can enable indifferent people or those who are just starting to enjoy wine to start enjoying wines more, dig? There comes a time, and I assure you, there will come a time for you, when a smooth velvety wine may not do the trick. You know, like when you are new to having sex with someone: it’s euphoric; you nearly cannot stop it’s so pleasing. Then, after some time, it becomes a little monotonous. You wonder if it’s time to start experimenting with fuzzy animal costumes or salted, cured meats.

I think I’ve said too much.  Let’s get back to the wine. If a smooth wine is what you crave, but one with a little more character, check out the Sustainable Red. Drinking this is not only good for you but it’s great for the environment. And after all kids, don’t you get more pleasure out of something when it’s giving you a buzz? Maybe I do have more in common with hippies than I thought.