The Seven Deadly Zins & Why You Must Try a Lodi Zinfandel

The Seven Deadly Zins 2013


Region: Lodi, Central Valley, California

Wine Enthusiast: 89 points

Vivino app rating: 3.9/5

Average Price: $13.99

The Seven Deadly Zins is a bold wine with deep color and smoky aromas and flavoring originating from Lodi. You can taste the grape and berries. It is a smooth, smoky wine that I enjoyed very much!

Zinfandels in general can pair well with beef, lamb, poultry, pork, and can be served with a heavier cream sauce.

Vivino rates the Seven Deadly Zins wine a 3.9/5. I am leaning more toward a 4.0/5. I really enjoyed the full-bodied characteristic of this wine and the smooth smokiness. But hey, they do say Lodi makes amazing Zinfandel. But what makes Lodi Zins so special?

seven-deadly-zins

Why Lodi Zinfandels are so Special

California in general is known for making good Zinfandels, but “Lodi produces nearly 1/3 of California’s production (winemag.com).” Lodi is located inland of Sacramento and is the northern portion of California’s Central Valley. The old vines here have been cared for by families for decades. That is what makes Lodi Zins so special. The vines are some of the oldest around. A lot of their grapes are used for white zinfandels, but when they make the reds, they’re red sole Louboutin types of fabulous. Ha. Additionally, the difference in temperature from day to night helps the grapes flourish. The days are hot and nights cooler in this region.

I credit my Uncle for getting me in to Zinfandels, and he doesn’t even know it! He gave me a glass of zinfandel without me realizing what it was and said, “do you like it?” It was great. And since then, I started my Zinfandel exploration. No one brings a Zinfandel to the party; no one says that is their wine of choice. It is always Cabernet or Merlot, sometimes Malbec. But Zinfandel? Not so much. It is a great choice of wine though, and most red lovers end up liking Zinfandel a lot.

Lodi is up and coming and I encourage you all to dabble in Lodi Zinfandels! Comment below with your favorite Zinfandels!

all smiles for the seven deadly zins
all smiles for the seven deadly zins

Halloween Trick or Treat, Pair your Wine and Eat!

It is almost Halloween! Whether you’re an adult trick-or-treater, a parent who sneaks some candy from your child’s stash, or the person who just eats a bowl of candy with a scary movie, I’m sure you’re going to have some wine with your Halloween candy! Wouldn’t it be fun to experience the height of each candy’s flavor and pair your wine? For those of you who don’t know, I am obsessed with pairing wine with my food, so why not pair with my Halloween candy? Lord knows I will be treating myself to some M&Ms and Snickers bars! These are not set in stone as there can be some debate or variety of wines that pair with each, but below are some popular Halloween candies with their wine pairing!

candy-bars

  1. M&Ms– This popular Halloween candy can pair well with medium or bold reds. The rule, so I’ve heard, is the darker the chocolate, the darker the wine. I would pair my M&Ms with a nice Zinfandel. I like the Sledgehammer Zinfandel priced at an average of $10 and of course the Lodi Zins are excellent as well. Teaser: stay tuned for my next wine Wednesday blog looking at what makes Lodi Zins so special!
  2. Snickers– Pair this chocolate and nut candy with a Port. Rumor has it that this Portuguese sweet wine is a dreamy pairing. I’m picky with the Ports, but I would choose a Fonseca Bin 27 averaging in price around $16.99.
  3. Reeses Peanut Butter Cups– Let’s get a wine that will accentuate the nut in peanut butter! Holy Nuts! Again, like with the nuts in Snickers, a Port may be best!
  4. Hershey’s chocolate– The staple of chocolate candy! You can do a Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon here. I’d go with the king Cab since I may be secretly partial to it. Cabernets are my favorite wines so I can probably rattle off many of my favorites! Go for the St. Francis Cabernet, average of $16 or the Decoy Cabernet, average of $17. If you’re a Pinot Noir lover, Meiomi (about $20) or Kendall Jackson (about $17) would do beautifully here.
  5. Sweet Tarts– For all you white wine lovers, I would pair these sweet and sour tart candies with a German Riesling. Yes, here comes my favorite as your recommendation! Relax Riseling would be my pick here, averaging at $9.99 per bottle.
  6. Candy Corns– Here is the epitome of Halloween candy in both flavoring and appearance. Chardonnay or Moscato would do here, so pick your poison! A Beringer Founder’s Estate Chardonnay averaged at $8 or Bartenura Moscato from Italy, averaged at $13.
  7. York Peppermint Patties– Cabernet for the win! Dark chocolate and mint pattie flavoring will optimally pair with a cab! Incase you did not like my suggestions above, I’ll throw out the Josh Cabernet Sauvignon on this one. 😉
  8. Twizzlers– Sometimes, a girl just needs her Champs! Pair your twizzlers with your favorite champagne and cheers your way in to November. As you may remember, I am a Prosecco girl so here I would choose the La Marca Prosecco, about $13. Of course, all of the expensive champagnes are amazing too, but I am staying on the economical side; we can save those pricey Dom Perignon bottles for a really special occasion outside of Halloween candy gorging. 😉

Obviously, there are many candies in the world, and I only listed 0.0003% of them. Ha. Comment below with specific candy and wine pairings you may be curious about or another of your favorites that I missed! Have a happy and safe Halloween!

 

wine-glass-candy

Meiomi Pinot Noir 2014

Meiomi Pinot Noir 2014


Region: Sonoma, California

Wine Enthusiast: 88 points

Vivino app rating: 4.1/5

Average Price: $19.99

It’s wine Wednesday again and this week, I am writing about Meiomi Pinot Noir 2014. What a pleasant surprise! Once my husband saw the screw top on the bottle, he said, “Oh no, it has a screw top? It can’t be that good.” Well, if you’re one of those people who equate screw tops with cheap wines in price and taste, please look the other way on this one because Meiomi is a win! Meiomi Pinot Noir is garnet in color and has flavors of blackberry, dark cherry, mocha, and vanilla. It is such a smooth and uplifting wine! There is also an aspect of oak that gives this wine an edge over other Pinot Noirs. There is just something soothing about this balanced and delicious wine!

Have your wine and drink it too
Have your wine and drink it too

This wine pairs well with pork or lamb, especially with stronger flavors. If you’re feeling in a fish mood, you can get away with enjoying it with salmon.

Meiomi Pinot Noir with rack of lamb
Meiomi Pinot Noir with rack of lamb

I would rate this wine exactly how Vivino members have rated it, a 4.1/5.0. It is absolutely spot on. If you’re a Pinot Noir lover, go try this wine; if you want to start drinking Pinots, start with Meiomi! Happy Wine Wednesday!

How to Pair your Pumpkin dishes with Wine

It’s finally Fall! If you’re like me, you’re so excited for the changing of the leaves, the crisp, cool air, football season, and of course pumpkin everything! You got out your pumpkin candles and have your pumpkin creamer ready for your coffee. You went to the grocery store and got pumpkin spice and every pumpkin item possible to make sure you are fully emerged in pumpkin season! You start noticing that your meals are revolving around it too; you’re eating your pumpkin pancakes and oatmeal for breakfast, pumpkin risotto for lunch, pumpkin raviolis for dinner, and pumpkin pie for dessert! Now, you just need the proper wines to pair with it! YES, you can pair wine with your favorite pumpkin meals. This is your guide on how to pair pumpkin dishes with wine.

I was inspired to write this when I made a pumpkin pancake dessert with salted caramel ice cream and maple syrup drizzle. I was pairing wine with my dinner and decided I should also pair my wine with the pumpkin dessert that I just made. Here’s what I came up with.

pumpkin pancake with salted caramel ice cream and maple syrup drizzle
pumpkin pancake with salted caramel ice cream and maple syrup drizzle

You can be a little flexible, in my opinion, with your pairings and base it more on the type of wine you like within guidelines. There is no rule for pairing with pumpkin; the pairing is chosen more based on the preparation. I would pair the dessert above with a German Riesling wine. A medium bodied, dry riesling compliments the pumpkin spice flavor well. For affordable rieslings, I really enjoy the Schmitt Sohne Relax Riesling. It has a fruity flavoring and natural acidity. Here, you can also do a Chardonnay or Pinot Gris. Chardonnay, especially new world, is a great Fall pairing wine in general.

Moving away from the desserts, if you’re looking to have something along the lines of a pumpkin risotto that I mentioned above, a Prosecco is a great pairing there.If you read my previous champagne article, you will remember that Prosecco hails from the Veneto region. Proseccos have a light, refreshing, and crisp taste associated with them and would pair excellent with a pumpkin risotto.

Pumpkin ravioli? I would do something a little more full bodied and heavier to pair with the tomato sauce here. If you are a white wine person, choose an Alsace Pinot Gris. If you are a red wine person and really prefer not to choose a white wine (I personally like red wine better than Pinot Gris), you can get away with a Syrah. The Clarendon Hill 2009 Syrah is one of my favorites.

Pumpkin soup? I would choose here a white wine again with some acidity and body to it. A Napa Valley Chardonnay with notes of apple and pear or vanilla would do beautifully here. I recently enjoyed the Walt ‘La Brisa’ Chardonnay from Sonoma. For a more easily accessible and a little bit less expensive chardonnay, Beringer makes nice ones as well as Hess.

I think you get the idea! You can eat your pumpkin and have your wine too. Pairing wine with food is a great way to dine. If paired correctly, the wine accentuates the food and flavors, bringing the meal to a whole new level. There is no reason you can’t do it with your favorite Fall flavor, pumpkin, too. Enjoy pumpkin season!

Enjoy your Pumpkin season! <3 Nadia
Enjoy your Pumpkin season! <3 Nadia