Looking for Spice? Ravenswood Zinfandel (NV)

Aug 20 2009

Summer’s over. School’s starting. Time to get excited about leaves changing, football games, school work and fuzzy sweaters. While summer asked us to drink chilled, crisp, light wines, fall requires something bolder.

What wine?

I tried a glass of Ravenswood Zinfandel (NV). The deep, dark red wine promised some level of complexity and the zinfandel did not disappoint.

The taste was of round, ripe lush fruit with hints of spice. The fullness of the fruit begged to be paired with a thick, juicy rare steak. Unfortunately, I paired it with a sushi plate of white tuna, salmon, whitefish and shrimp. For my meal, a cold, unfiltered sake would have been the better pairing.

I would prefer to pop the cork on a bottle of Ravenswood Zinfandel on a cool, crisp fall evening and enjoy it solo. With mid notes of berry and plum before a spicy finish with vanilla to balance throughout the experience, a glass of Ravenswood Zinfandel is strong enough to stand alone.

Though I enjoyed my glass of Ravenswood Zinfandel on a private patio in downtown Boulder, my poor pairing choice triggered a “wish I were in the South” moment, if only for the to-go cups.

An drank the Ravenswood Zinfandel ($7.00/glass) at Japango, on Pearl Street Mall. For taste, color, scent, experience and complexity, An gives the Ravenswood Zinfandel at Japango a 3.5 out of 5.

PalateBomb.com Explodes Into the Wine Scene

Jul 22 2009

PalateBomb.com Explodes Into the Wine Scene

Last night at Bookwalter Winery in Washington’s Columbia Valley, family and friends surrounded us as we launched an effort to share information, experiences and thoughts about wine. With helium-filled balloons in the PalateBomb palette adding a festive touch and Fenix Sound & Vision providing a chill background vibe, we shared some appetizers and a few bottles of red and white.

Bookwalter Winery + PalateBomb.com = Experience to Remember

Last night, the food, wine and beginning of a new venture brought us together; the conversation and company made it memorable. Everyone I spoke with at PalateBomb’s launch shared so many interesting perspectives on wine, food, wineries and regions, that I had more things to think about than I have shoes!

One lady I met kept me in stitches, with a sharp, witty perspective on life. She clued me into a white sangria that I can’t wait to try and share. Another person I met develops food – she’s a senior food technologist whose anecdotes about various dining experiences inspire me to think about food in a different way, more analytically. I’ve only scratched the surface of the stories everyone shared as we partook of delicious wine from the Columbia River Valley from Bookwalter Winery.

I had a glass of the Subplot 23 Columbia Valley Red, an intense red that started out sweet, but not too sweet. Interestingly complex, it hit the palate with hints of spice and fruit. I thought it would pair well with chocolate covered espresso beans.

Alas, I had none. However, Bookwalter provided hummus served with warmed bread, a selection of cheeses, grapes and meats as antipasta. The meats and grapes paired well together – the contrasts won me over. Take a succulent, tender and sweet grape and wrap a dry, cured and salty slice of salami around the grape. Bite. Savor. Enjoy.

Thank you to everyone who came out last night to celebrate PalateBomb’s launch – please don’t hesitate to let us know if there’s a wine you think we should try or a pairing you’d like us to explore (and write about!)

Also available at the PalateBomb launch, a white Chardonnay-Viognier blend.

Summer breeze…makes me want WINE! Seriously.

Jul 19 2009

One of my favorite summer pastimes is sitting outside, in the heat, drinking a cold glass of something wonderful – like a dry riesling, or a chenin blanc. In fact, let’s talk a little about the wonderfully versatile wine that is chenin blanc. What it is, what it pairs with, and which one I think fits the bill for summer drinking this year.

First off, what IS chenin? Well, the grape, vitis vinifera, is a wonderfully versatile fruit, that’s used to create many a dry white wine. Also, it’s common in dessert wines, sparkling wines and even forms of brandy. The grape does well in warm climates, even in climates considered too warm for other varietals, which is why Washington State has the perfect climate for this grape and many others.

Chenin blanc traditionally pairs well with many foods. The “white wine staples” like chicken or fish go well, and chenin can be a treat for all you asparagus lovers out there. I, on the other hand, like to venture into the unknown a little with my wine pairings, so read on.

Let’s get to the good stuff – the wine! One of my favorite chenin wines that has been consistently good throughout the years has been the L’Ecole No 41 “Walla Voila” Chenin Blanc. It is a tart but sweet white with a wonderful nose and taste that can only be described as clean and crisp. Imagine taking a ripe pear and smashing it together with a big Georgia peach then drizzling honey over it.

The wine sits at 13.5% alcohol, but is nicely balanced so it doesn’t leave you with a hot, alcoholic burn. It’s slightly sweet, but acidic enough that it goes great with heavily seasoned chicken and fish alike. I recently paired a bottle with “jerk” chicken, which was spicy enough to make my mouth (and eyes) water from just the smell. Even though the chicken spiciness was high, the wine stood its ground. Fresh grilled asparagus on the side made it a great meal combo! Grab a bottle or two of the current vintage of the L’Ecole Chenin Blanc and enjoy it on your patio, deck, or boat tonight because this wine…screams summer!