The King of Zin Does it Again

At the 2008 London International Wine Fair, I got the chance to meet Joel Petterson who’s more affectionately known as the “King of Zin”, and is the wine maker behind the great wines from the Ravenswood winery in California. Unfortunately and I’m not quite sure why, I didn’t taste any of his wines that day, so I’d been looking for an excuse too, not that I ever need one!

I opened a bottle of Ravenswood Lodi Old Vines Zinfandel 2006 (Adegga) the other day, for myself and friend to enjoy as she’s a huge fan of Californian Zinfandel. Now despite saying Zinfandel on the label it is actually a blend of Zinfandel (76%) and Petite Syrah (24%) which just helps to give it a greater depth and complexity of flavour.

It had an opaque purple colour with pronounced aromas of Plums, Blueberries and a touch of spice from the oak ageing in the background. You got all these aromas coming through on the palate, where the spicy notes revealed themselves as Vanilla and Liquorice, you also got a touch of cocoa just to add to the mix. All these flavours, with the good levels of acidity and juicy tannins went on to produce a fantastic and beautifully balanced wine which is definitely worth more than the £8 price tag it has at the moment.

If you like your red to have plenty of flavour and body then you can’t go wrong with this wine, which can be enjoyed equally on its own or with food. It definitely goes into my top ten 10!

Sainsbury’s TTD Primitivo del Salento

For a recent family wedding I was asked to recommend an Italian red that everyone would enjoy, and that would also go along with the menu they’d chosen. I decided to go for Sainsbury’s TTD Primitivo del Salento, which I first got to taste at a Sainsbury’s press tasting last year.

Produced in Puglia, on the heel of southern Italy, it is actually a blend of the Primitivo, Negroamaro and Malvasia Nero grapes.

The Primitivo grape is one of Italy's oldest indigenous grape varieties, and helps to produce a wonderfully smooth, full bodied, red wine, with aromas of blueberries. On the taste buds to go along with the fruit, there is hint of spice coming through. This, with the low levels of tannin and acidity, all go on to produce a delightfully balanced wine.

A fantastic, fruit driven, yet full bodied red, I would highly recommend it. Even if you’re not a fan of red, try it…it may surprise you. It did my father in law!

By the way, they have recently redesigned the label to the one pictured, however it is still the same wine inside.