Wingnut Zinfandel

I love, love, love California Zinfandels. I was seriously craving one as I visited with my friend at the Elusive Grape in historic downtown Deland, FL a few evenings ago. I chose the Wingnut Zinfandel (2006) from Napa County (retails between $10 and $15). The owner of the wine shop, Bill, said, "Really, you haven't tried this yet?! I thought for sure you had; it's great." If I had tried it before, I definitely would have remembered. Dark, rich, bold, fruit-forward with spice. The back of the bottle is great, it reads: "Draw your own lines. Stand out in the crowd. We Wingnuts settle for nothing but the extraordinary. True to its muse, this Zinfandel is full-on in every way, arousing all the senses. It pairs well with bold living. Hang on!"

Wedding Wines 9: Marietta

Marietta Old Vine Red Lot #47, oh how I do savor this wine. This may be my favorite of all the Wedding Wines. This old vine red is primarily Zinfandel, blended with Carignane, Petite Sirah, Syrah, and Cabernet. Luscious dark fruit and plenty of peppery spice to balance it, both on the nose and palate. The color is a dark ruby purple, and the body can only be described as BIG (and complex). I tried this wine for the first time at The Elusive Grape in downtown Deland, FL, and have been drinking it ever since. This is not a wine that you only drink once; you will crave it again and again. You can find it at wine warehouses for the shocking price of $11.99!

Wedding Wines 8: Murphy-Goode Liar's Dice

Finally, on to one of my favorite subjects, Zinfandels! The next wedding wine is the Murphy-Goode Liar's Dice Zinfandel. Surprisingly, I discovered this wine in my home town in KS at a liquor store when we were back in town visiting. My husband and I read the back of the bottle, it sounded good, and the price sounded good, too. Then, after we left the store, I suspiciously checked the receipt, it sounded like more than we had thought. And so, we discovered that this wine was $22 instead of $12 (although we have since found that you can buy it at wine warehouses for under $20). This turned out to be a lucky turn of events because we probably never would have tried it after looking at the real price tag. We uncorked the wine while watching a Chiefs game, and it knocked our socks off! For me, this is what a perfect Zin should be--plums, raspberries, dark cherries, an explosion of fruit on the palate without forgetting the spice. I'm pretty sure I have measured every Zin in comparison to this one ever since.