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The Everyday Wine Guy: A gold rush in wine terms

by Don Colman

Terra D'Oro Zinfandel (2006)

Zinfandel! Any night of the week, if I had to pick a wine, it would almost always be a Zinfandel. I find them to be big, flavorful, fruit forward, sweet, robust and well balanced. Most of the Zinfandels I write about come from the Russian River or Central Coast districts. This time I decided to venture east, to Amador County and see if they could produce more than just history of a Gold Rush. How fitting that I found a wine called Terra D'Oro Zinfandel (2006).

Terra D'Oro is either a little big or a big little winery. Either way, it produces a respectable number of cases of wine but is small enough to keep that boutique feel to it. Its range is wide, from a light Pinot Grigio to a succulent Sangiovesse. Being a mid-sized winery has advantages. Being too big can often lead to a production factory that can create generic wines. Being too small often means no economies of scale and the lack of funds to invest in the right equipment leading to inconsistencies in the wine. In Terra D'Oro, they have the best of both worlds - not too big and not too small.

I opened the bottle of wine with no pre-conceived notions. Having never tried their wine before, and having had very few wines from Amador County, I didn't know what to expect. Here is what I found:

* Look: The wine had a beautiful deep red color and had no haze to it, whatsoever. As for age, it was still a young wine, could do with some aging but was certainly mature enough to be enjoyed today. It should continue to age well over the next two to three years.

* Scent: The smell of a wine can be challenging to identify. In this case, I had few troubles. I grew up in an area where tobacco fields were plentiful and when I smelled this wine, I could see myself driving through tobacco fields with the aroma wafting through the car windows. We all know that cigarettes are bad for you, but tobacco plants, prior to being processed (smoked), have a nice scent.

* Taste: As always, the most important part of the wine. This is very well balanced - it is fruit forward with a sweet finish. At the very start you will notice berries, particularly sweet black berries, leading to a finish of vanilla and spices that stay with you even after the wine is gone.

As for food pairing, this matches well with a summer BBQ, most pasta dishes or even the family night pizza. Avoid lighter food with this - no fish and no stir-fries would be a good rule of thumb.

All in all this was a very nice wine. My wife and I had no problems polishing off the bottle and are anxious to buy a few more; it's sold at BevMo for $12.99. Drink up and enjoy. Until next time, cheers!

Don Colman, the Everyday Wine Guy lives in Danville and can be reached at everydaywineguy@hotmail.com

Posted by Woody, a resident of the Danville neighborhood, on Jul 29, 2010 at 7:25 pm

Everyday Wine Guy's predecessor was so much better...

Posted by Tired of It, a resident of the Danville neighborhood, on Jul 30, 2010 at 5:29 am

Too bad there's no rudeness filter in this forum.

Posted by Zin Man, a resident of the Danville neighborhood, on Jul 30, 2010 at 7:37 am

Good commentary, Wine Guy. Yes, and mean people suck.

Posted by Hal Bailey, a resident of another community, on Jul 30, 2010 at 8:53 am

Dear Dolores,

As you likely remember, Vince, as host of CDSI Info address, is also a wine grape grower and wine manufacturer. Over recent years, we have compared Zinfandel grapes from the primary regions of Lytton Springs/Healdsburg, Plymouth/Amador County, and Paso Robles. Vince has made Zin's from each region and blends of such regions.

The nature of Zinfandel is unique because it can have various structures depending on the tastes of customers. Generally, the softer, deeply rich "berry" Zins are the most popular and Rancho Zabaco is a good example. Some like the earthier Zins that have aged to a dry, somewhat peppery taste.

In Spain early this month, I was served a red wine that is taken from grapes that are relatives of Zinfandel. The subdued berry finish and crisp, dry richness of the wine was exceptional.

Most uniquely, Vince recently made a true white Zinfandel that has the full, dry crispness of a red Zin with the structure of an Albrino or Pinot Grigio. This planned offering by Trader Joe's for the holidays will be a treat for our local tables and bring a further definition to Zinfandel.

Interesting?

Hal