A robust dry red blend with notes of Mexican hot chocolate
With Zinfandel as the base, this red blend is drier than most.
Ghost Pines Red Blend, California
$17.99
15% alcohol
PLCB Item #7468
Sale price through April 28; regularly $20.99
Some grapes, like cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir, get so much hype that winemakers have every incentive to make sure the grape name appears on the wine’s front label. In the United States, this requires meeting a mandatory minimum threshold of 75% of the final blend. Other grapes that don’t command as much respect, like zinfandel and merlot, may make tasty wines that people enjoy drinking, but are less often named on wine labels. In California, many red blends rely primarily on these delicious but undervalued varieties, as with this well-made, dry red blend based on zinfandel.
Zinfandel was the first wine grape to be widely planted in California, back in the mid-19th century. At that time, most grapevines were clustered in southern California and the majority were growing table grapes or raisins. Spanish missionaries had introduced their “mission grape” for making sacramental wine, but this variety’s pale color made for bland red wines that were susceptible to spoilage. Like mission vines, zinfandel yielded unusually generous crops of grapes and could be planted without a wire trellis. But, unlike mission, zinfandel produced dark, inky wines that were jam-packed with flavor. Zinfandel’s popularity among farmers was already growing when the Gold Rush drew thousands of newcomers to northern California, creating a boom in agriculture. Within a few decades, zinfandel was the state’s most planted grape.
Today, much has changed. Cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir have displaced zinfandel in acreage and perceived quality. Zinfandel wines remain just as robust and tasty as ever, but being less fashionable, they often end up acting as the base for red blends like this one. Dense and concentrated, this wine is drier than most with layered flavors of black cherries, fig chutney, and a touch of the dusty spice flavor of Mexican hot chocolate.
Also available at:
Wine Warehouse in Sicklerville, $19.99
sicklerville.winewarehousenj.com/
Total Wine & More in Claymont, Del., $20.99
Toast Wine & Spirits in Vineland, $20.99