Episode 52: Enter the Zin
Fifty two weeks, a family affair, and one of us is drinking a ‘who’s yer daddy’ wine. We announce our #W25Challenge winner for this quarter and are so excited to have the listener co-host the show with us later this month! Oh … then there are the tribbles. Tribbles? Yes. Tribbles. We obviously need change for the pop culture clue bus here, but we’re on the Zinfandel train this week and either way it’s a fun ride. We hope you enjoy this episode!
Val: “Welcome Wine-Two-Five listeners! This is episode 52 – does that mark our one year of weekly podcasting?!! I think it does, oh – oh – and did someone say party?? Yes and we’ll talk about that at the end of the show.”
Steph: “Wow and Cheers! I think that’s what that means. We have lots to celebrate because we also had record downloads recently and sped past our goals! So in celebration – Cheers again! And tell me what’s in your glass…”
Drinking:
Val: This is a red wine from Bela Voda from Tikves winery in Macedonia. This is my “who’s your daddy?” Wine. Why? Because the grape we are going to be talking about this week is the daddy of the two grapes in this wine: Vranec & Plavec. This is the 2010 and it’s inky, plush, and absolutely lousy with black fruits like blackberries & figs and goes down easy with this here salami.
Steph: 2013 Raku Sonoma County Zinfandel (bottled for Lot18) – light in color, blueberry pie filling on the nose, a simple wine, more of a porch pounder and a good example of entry-level Zinfandel.
Discussion: Primitivo/Zinfandel
Val: “Many people think it’s native to California, but it’s not. It’s native to Croatia where it’s called Crljnak Kastelanski or Tribidrag. Tribidrag is the most ancient and original name for this variety. Ampelographers and researchers were able to trace the roots (ha ha) of this variety all the way to an Island of Kastela in Croatia, near split, and this is where the name Crljnak Kastelanski came from – it means the “red grape of Kastela. The DNA profile also turned out to be identical to a 90-year-old vine in the locals called Tribidrag – of course this was in 2001, so that would now be a 115-year-old vine. I wonder if it’s still around? It’s supposedly in an herbarium.
Tribble, the furry creature, not to be confused with Tribidrag, the grape. Photo Source: Wikipedia.
We did have a discussion about the word Tribidrag being reminiscent of Tribbles. Neither one of us could remember what movie the Tribbles were featured in, and it turns out that Steph and Val revealed the fact that we are not Trekkies. Tribbles were featured in a TV show, Star Trek – you may remember it?
“In Puglia it’s called Primitivo, Morellone, Primaticcio, Uva di Corato, or Zaragese. In Montenegro they call it Kratosija. This is California’s signature grape and there is more Zinfandel in California than anywhere else in the world.
“Here’s the funny thing. Although it’s California’s signature grape (and 2nd most-planted black grape) it’s believed to have been already growing on the east coast and it was named Zenfendel and Zinifindal by folks in New England. The theory is that the vine was brought here by George Gibbs to Long Island in the 1820s or 1830s from a nursery in Austria. It was the Gold Rush that is suspected to have brought the vine to California. However, there are mentions in Italy of this grape existing in 1799 in Puglia! The Latin word primativus is what agronomist (and priest) Francesco Filippo Indellicati called this grape. He was the one gave this “early ripening” grape its name, as Primativo means just that: “early ripening” although the grape was previously known as Zagarese, further tying it to Croatia if, indeed, the name was rooted (again, ha ha) in the name of the city, Zagreb, or having come from city.
“Where else does it grow? Well, it prefers a warm climate, so it grows well in places like Southern France, South Africa, Australia, Mexico, Israel, and, of course its native Croatia.”
Photo Credit: Lodi Wine Commission
Steph: “Let’s talk about what Zinfandel is like in your wine glass. This is tricky because there are many styles of Zinfandel, and we’re talking red Zinfandel here. It can range from light, fun and fruity to a big, rich, alcohol bomb with smoky-spice in-your-face! This is what makes it especially hard for blind tasting. Not to mention that the berries ripen unevenly on the vine and often contribute to the medley of flavors and expressions.
“So visually, when you’re looking at the wine in your glass, the style and the blend can affect what you see color and intensity wise. For example, if there’s Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon or another highly pigmented grape blended into the wine, the color will be darker. Otherwise, in it’s youth, Zin appears purplish/violet to ruby red.
“On the nose, expect blue, black and red fruits. Yes, all the those colors. Zinfandels are known for their jammy-berry identity. You’ll also find spiciness, and sometimes cola, tar or earthy notes.
“On the palate, the classic, high-quality Zins are medium-full bodied in weight and have less tannin structure than Cabernet Sauvignon. When the attention is given to the vines in the vineyard, and the winemaker takes extra care in the winery, … and don’t forget about your proper serving temperature… Zinfandel can be an extraordinary red wine with finesse, moderate acidity, defined structure and complex flavors of fruit, spice and earth.
“Look for producers Ridge, Rafanelli, Ravenswood, Renwood, Seghesio, Turley, and Merry Edwards – just to name a few – and at different price points. The Dry Creek Valley AVA of Sonoma is a trusted source to seek out, and you can also count on CA producers from Lodi and Amador County.
“I remember when our friends Chris & Janet had us over at their house for the first time and they opened a bottle of Rafanelli Zin. That bottle left an impression on me. It was the best Zin I ever had, and in my world, the Zinfandel grape gained more respect and moved up a notch.”
Factoid:
Val: “A US Geological Survey actually places the oldest documented Zinfandel vines in Amador county, although some say the oldest vines are in Lodi. The “1869 vineyard” was planted in 1869. Wines from this vineyard are currently produced by Scott Harvey.”
Winoradar:
Steph: “My radar is still focused on Zinfandel – and I came across Coro Mendocino. Have you heard of this, Val?
“Well, I must live under a rock, but Coro Mendocino wines have been around for 11 years. It is an ultra-premium wine blend that showcases Zinfandel from Mendocino County. The blend has to be 40-70% Zin, and 100% of all the grapes in the wine blend have to be from Mendocino. The wines must pass strict quality standards and abide by specific winemaking rules. There are 8 current producers making a “Coro” blend and they include Parducci, Fetzer, and Clos du Bois to name a few. The website claims that these wines are the only wines in the USA with such stringent rule! And actually, it is pretty believable when you scroll through all the rules online. If you want to learn more about these wine or buy them (looks like they run about $38), you can find the link in our show notes.”
Val: “I have in my wino radar the SWE Spirits Conference in Louisville, KY. In fact, as this airs that is where I am right now … probably on a Bourbon tour …”
Winner of the #W25Challenge announcement/unveiling!
Susan Golicic’s winning #W25Challenge entry, “Martinis in March” from Facebook. (Photo by Susan Golicic)
Susan Golicic is the winner of our first quarter’s #W25Challenge! Every entry from our listeners on FB and Twitter was written on a piece of paper, and we drew the winning entry during the recording of this episode. Congratulations, Susan and we look forward to having you on the show later this month! On the first of April we began a new #W25Challenge that will run through the 30th of June. Keep exploring and letting us know what’s new in your glass!
Shoutouts:
Steph: “I recently visited Scottsdale, AZ and had the pleasure of experiencing the Sorso Wine Bar. While I was enjoying the wine dispensing options and my loveable lunch companion, Missy, I met co-owner Lauren Teahen. She was fabulous and friendly, and we chatted a bit. She told me that she and her husband Mark started Sorso after he left professional baseball. They were inspired to start the business after a trip to Chianti when they stumbled into the Enoteca Falorni. Sorso offers 32 wines through Wineemotion dispensers, an Italian company. It is a wine buffet. For real!”
Val: “We have a reminder that our Anniversary Soiree is on April 16th in downtown Denver from 4:30-6:30pm. If you would like to attend our intimate event, please send us a message and let us know that you’d like your name to be added to the guest list and give us your contact information. We will then reach out to you and give you the name of our “secret” venue with the address.
Thank you for listening and supporting our show!
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So until next week – Cheers!
You can listen to this week’s episode in its entirety here: