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This Zinfandel was made from grapes sourced from Sonoma County. It was an accident that it was bottled. In November of 2009, Kathy and I were helping to break down the basket press at Vint Hill Craft Winery. The winemaker had just pressed Zinfandel. We noticed that the pomace near the bottom of the press was rather moist. Since we were experimenting making jelly from pomace, we captured about six gallons of the pomace. After straining it at home we had a bit more than a gallon of wine, way too much to make into jelly. So I put it into a gallon jug and let it settle until August of this year when it was bottled. Ending up with a wine instead of a jelly was an accident.
After tasting it, I discovered the Zin sin. During the winter, I used heavy toasted French oak spirals in the wine. I left the French oak spirals in the wine too long; it wasn’t noticed at the time. This ended up giving the wine an overriding baking spices taste.
The wine was purple with a light purple rim. Dark fruit with leather nuances were on the aroma. The taste was of dark fruit and leather. Mild tannins on the fruity finish quickly yielded to leather. The leather turned to pepper on the aftertaste.
Cheers,
Terry
The Specialist Winegrowers of New Zealand
Have you heard about The Specialist Winegrowers of New Zealand? This is a group of six wineries focused on creating “fine wines.” According to their information, “The Specialist Winegrowers of New Zealand Ltd. Is an independent marketing alliance representing rare and exceptional wines from a small group of artisan producers.”
In order to be a member of this special group, the artisan winemaker must “specialize in a single grape variety or style.” The current members are Destiny Bay, The Hay Paddock, No1 Family Estate, Vinoptima Estate, Wooing Tree Vineyard and Fairbourne Estate.
Destiny Bay’s specialty is Bordeaux style blends. The Hay Paddock specializes in Syrah, while No1 Family Estate focuses on Methode Traditionelle. The focus for Fairbourne Estate is Sauvignon Blanc, Vinoptima Estate on Gewurztraminer and the Wooing Tree Vineyard specializes in Pinot Noir.
If you are looking for a high end wine, consider the wines produced by The Specialist Winegrowers of New Zealand.
Cheers! Kathy