Tag: Zinfandel

Life · WSET Diploma

WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 14: Business of Wine

Posted on by Josh

Woah! I’m feeling mighty uninspired. I think it might have to do with the clouds and rain, which are normally quite nice, but something’s blocking my brain and I feel like I have to obligatorily blame it on the weather. Maybe I need to watch a movie, or go on a mini vacation, or just hug someone for a really long time. It sure is an excuse to get juices flowing with actual alcoholic juice, but I’m going to not because my brain is telling me no. (Which means it’s going to be one can of beer or just a hint of scotch. And then maybe more scotch.)

Two weeks ago, I skipped class on southern Italy to attend an afternoon whisky seminar followed by a sobering nap.… read more

Tasting

Wine Bloggers Conference 2014 – Speed Tasting i.e. Tinder for Wines

Posted on by Josh

Speed tasting. It’s one of the unique events of the Wine Bloggers Conference that’s always explained to you if you’ve never heard of the WBC before, kind of like the warning nod of the hangover to the newly legal. It’s always described as “speed dating but with wine” – though in this case, it’s only a one-way road of looking at your date in disgust. So there’s a plus, and it’s sort of like a Tinder swipe-left-or-right sort of situation.

In the essence of the Live Wine Blogging event, you have 50 minutes to taste through 10 wines. In each 5-minute session, the winery representative pours you wine and gives you a bit of a quick overview before moving on to the next table.… read more

WSET Diploma

2009 Ravenswood Old Vine Zinfandel Lodi

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clean, deep ruby (or purple), legs
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, youthful, dried (yet vibrant) dried fruit, mineral, earth, white pepper, cherry, raspberry, bramble, plum, oak, herbal, spice, smoky, charred wood
Mouth: dry, med+ body, med acid, med fine  tannin, med+ alcohol, med length, red fruits, strawberry, sour cherry, med flavour intensity, raisin, vanilla, stewed, plums, cherries
All in all: Good quality: moderate complexity, but needs a little more tannins to support the structure and the alcohol is slightly imbalanced. Concentrated fruit. Drink now; not intended for ageing.
Identity: High-priced (Tempranillo/Barbera [d’Alba]/Sangiovese/Pinot Noir/Nebbiolo/Zinfandel) from Italy.
Is really: Mid-priced Zinfandel from California; 4 years old.

2009 Ravenswood Old Vine Zinfandel Lodi

[Tasted during WSET Diploma class – Section 1 – Week 8]

Compared to the Ribera del Duero, this was much more vibrant.… read more

WSET Advanced

2008 Caymus Zinfandel

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Notes:

Eyes: clear, deep ruby (to slight purple)
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, developing, spice, dried black fruit, oak, raisins
Mouth: dry, med+ body, med+ acid, med tannins, med to med+ length, high alcohol, med+ intensity, dried black fruit
All in all: Very good quality; can drink now, but has potential for ageing.

I distinctly remember having the exact same wine for the Intermediate level of WSET and it’s so easy to see why a relatively new wine drinker (especially someone more akin to the more masculine and hearty grapes), would like something like this. This is an intense, big, and well-concentrated wine that made me fall in love with Zinfandel, much to the dismay of other wine enthusiasts who gave me a look whenever I told them Zinfandel was my favourite grape (at the time).… read more