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09/28/2001 Archived Entry: "Wine Buy: Ravenswood Zinfandel Vintner’s Blend 1999"

Food Talk sommelier Carol Berman refers to the Ravenswood Zinfandel Vintner’s Blend 1999 as “entry level” Zinfandel. That’s for several reasons, not least of which is the price, $10.99 to $12.99 a bottle, which is much lower than winemaker Joel Peterson’s other Ravenswood Zinfandel bottlings.

Peterson is famous for his sophisticated Zinfandels, but this is a more accessible wine, made from grapes he both buys and grows and blended for it’s forthright flavor and easy appeal. You might say it has “charm,” which is exactly the word Peterson uses on his back label. I say it is very easy to like. Even Becky, my producer, who prefers white wine over red because red wines generally have too much tannin for her young palate, liked this wine.

Yes, it’s a simple wine, but full-bodied, darkly colored, and full of berry and spice flavors and aromas. It is not sweet, and please, please, please don’t confuse it with white – really pink -- Zinfandel. The Zinfandel grape is red and it is best expressed as a dry, red wine.

My first reaction to the wine, was “Bring on the steak.” Or even “Bring on the hamburger or the spaghetti with tomato sauce.” Or how about “Bring on the calf’s liver with fried onions,” which I haven’t had in a while, have been craving, and would go very well with this wine.

Carol thinks it would be a great wine for Thanksgiving. I always think Zinfandel is a great all-around wine for Thanksgiving, because besides having a flavor profile that can stand up to the many flavors of the feast, it is a uniquely American (specifically Californian) wine. It is not produced any where else in the world.