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Luxury Zinfandel – EVENT SOLD OUT
This event is sold out. If you wish to join a waiting list – contact the Treasurer.
Photo by Craig Lovell – https://fineartamerica.com
United States, 1885. Grover Cleveland was sworn in for his first term as POTUS, the Washington Monument was dedicated, the Statue of Liberty arrived in New York harbor, and the first Zinfandel vines were planted on steep, rocky limestone slopes in Paso Robles. Many 100+ year old Zinfandel vines planted across California are still thriving, and used to make some of the state’s most compelling wines. Wines made from these legendary vines are distinctive, complex and imbued with history. Old vines produce lower yields, and their grapes have more concentrated flavors and tend to communicate terroir more effectually because of their long-established presence in the soil.
Zinfandel changes character significantly depending on whereabouts in California it’s grown. But classic Zinfandel – spicy, peppery, brambly-briary and fruity – has no equal. Its charm is in its rustic exuberance. It has soul. “At harvest time, growers bring the Cabernet in new trucks and ride fancy cars. The Zinfandel arrives in a motley assortment of old 1940s and 1950s-era vehicles, and the growers are just as earthy and uncomplicated. That only happens with Zinfandel.” notes Tom Mackey, of St. Francis Winery in Sonoma County.
Many of you who participated in past Zin events have asked for a high-end Zin tasting and here is your event! We are fortunate that wine expert and entertaining speaker, Eric Miller, agreed to find some luxury bottles and prepare an elegant tasting of wines from the most succulent, spicy and delicious Zinfandel grapes.
Once upon a time in America, Zinfandel was known as a “hot tub” wine and most people were discreet enough to not talk about what they were having with it. Those Zinful stories are for another night when the women are smoking cigars and the bobblehead men have fallen asleep with the TV on. No, this night is a more sedate window into what has happened to our beloved grape in Eric Miller’s fifty years of vinous romance.
Because Zinfandel is a prolific grape there was a lot of it to be found from Cucamonga to Mendocino counties, along with other social entertainments. The pale version of Zinfandel played an important role in our favorite dark red beverage, which will be briefly mentioned, but we will not be smoking any weed or tasting any White Zinfandel.
Red Zinfandel is known for its rich, dark purple color scheme, medium to high tannin levels, high alcohol content, and medium acidity. While it tends to be medium-bodied and medium dry, it is literally bursting with flavors and aromas of jam, raspberry, blackberry, cherry, plums, cinnamon, black pepper, and licorice all wrapped around various intensities of oak. It’s seductive… people love it.
For Eric, the love began with the breakthrough “Three R’s” — Ravenswood, Rafanelli and Ridge. They mastered the grape’s foibles and used them to create an irrepressible style of California red wine. They rocked our world. Happily, we could afford them, but then the world changed. Too much press. Some son of a gun was buying them up before we could get our hands on them.
Then came Good, Better, Best Zinfandel and we needed to navigate an ocean of wannabe’s. It was not a coincidence that a brand new winery began to make Zinfandel exclusively and started its name with an “R” so it could get on the Zinfandel wagon. High-toned wineries like Biale got the idea and gave Zinfandel full focus. Then came Madison Avenue and Julia Child, the Food Channel; and OMG, Zinfandel became the step-child of sophisticated wine-speak.
Eric’s big questions:
- Is this new generation of Zin worth a hundred bucks? Thirty?
- Who is Rajat Parr (not a winemaker, I promise you) and why is he using grapes from Cucamonga?
- Why does Joel Peterson call his Zinfandel a “food wine” and why is it so light?
Come confused.
Leave happy.
You’ll enjoy both the wine and food at this event. Chef Justin’s small plate food pairings are all meat-centric this time because that’s what Zin cries out for; but Chef also has some great vegan options available for each course. Please send all food allergies to the Treasurer. Here are the small plates:
- Roasted Garlic Loaf Crostini, Smoked Skirt Steak with Chive Aioli
- Herb Crusted Lamb Lollipop with a Red Wine Reduction Sauce
- Prosciutto Wrapped Pork Loin with Fig BBQ Sauce
Join us Friday, September 19th, 7 p.m. at the Hilton Harrisburg to taste some of the very best wines from this favorite grape. Reservation deadline is Tuesday, September 16th.
You may make reservations via the Shoppe Page of this website. Trust us—you want to be there—you deserve this special treat!
Members—$155
Patrons—$150
Nonmembers—$175
