LIFE

Happy Hour: Most delicious Zin you’ve never heard of

Dave Schierling

One of the cool things about Zinfandel (besides its big jammy flavor) is that it’s pretty new in terms of American winemaking. The zinfandel grape, while genetically similar to Italian Primitivo and Croatian Crljenak Kaštelanski, was only begun to be made into wine stateside as far back as the 1850s — an infant in terms of wine.

This makes the relatively fledgling American Zinfandel style, which harnesses the grape’s high sugar content to make big, boozy, berry flavors, a pretty exciting niche for small wineries. Especially for 5th-generation Zin makers Vicarmont Vineyards. They have been making Zinfandel in California’s Lodi region for over 100 years, almost as long as Zinfandel has been a thing, and they do it right.

Fruit-forward, peppery and bold, Vicarmont Zin has all the hallmarks of a classic Zin flavor. Cherry and raspberry jam mingle with tobacco and oak with notes of vanilla and spice throughout.

Vicarmont Zin rolls effortlessly on the palate, feeling smooth and round on the tongue. It has an insanely long finish, with the fruit flavors lingering with such persistence you’ll swear you tongue is being haunted by berries.

Zinfandel tastes great with rich foods. Pair Vicarmont’s Zinfandel with pork belly ramen, hard cheeses like Manchego or with roasted squash. For under $25, Vicarmont Zinfandel is the most delicious high-quality, small production Zin you’ve never heard of. Cheers!

Dave Schierling is the wine buyer for Wilbur’s Total Beverage.