Gnarled Vine - Zinfandel

Price: $8.99
Region: California
Year: 2006

One of the reason I enjoy living where I do is because of the change of seasons. I enjoy each season in it's own way, but there is something about the beginning of Fall that makes it my favorite. It could be a lot of reasons, but one of them for sure is the combination of some good warm comfort food, and a bottle of red wine to go along with it. In the case of this past weekend, it was a pot of homemade chili, and subsequently a bottle of red Zinfandel. When one of my former colleagues and I were tired of talking about work, we would always share some wine recommendations. Mine was usually a Shiraz, while his was the newest Zinfandel he'd tried. He's given me some good recommendations in the past, and this variety always makes me think of him. I'll admit it isn't my favorite wine, but I tend to lean in that direction whenever there is a spicy food on the menu. Also, the start of fall always seems to reminds me to grab a bottle of Zinfandel, so there was no escape this time.

I have tried a couple of bottles of Zinfandel lately that were definitely above par in my book, so I was hoping for another stroke of luck. I had seen this wine many times, but was yet to give it a try. It is always one of the wine store employees favorite wines, and this time also had a sign next to it stating it was their most popular Zinfandel. Not usually a reason I would buy a wine, but it seemed a good time to give it a try.

Now, the beginning of Fall can sometime seem just as much like summer as any day in July or August, but luckily it was a nice breezy, chilly day (relatively). So, with the chili (no pun intended) in the crock pot getting ready to be served, it was time to pour a glass and see what we had to go with dinner. As one would expect from such a bold variety, the color did not disappoint. A very dark red, with good clarity. Now, one of the reason Zinfandel is not my favorite, is because the smell is usually a bit much for me. This one however, was very nice. Not too strong, but still held it own for sure. It didn't have the really "earthy" smell that I associate with a Zin. So, at this point, I was thinking maybe I was going to get lucky with another Zinfandel. I took a sip, and swished it around a bit, and my first impression was "ehh". To me, it was really nothing special, but didn't have that strong bite that a really bad wine would have. it was just kind of middle of the road, and really nothing special. For the most popular Zinfandel at this particular wine superstore, I would just have to say there is much better out there in that price range.

Rating: 3.0 (Maybe a bit generous)