Hello
Trying to help Xina pass her two-honors and will therefore provide her with
some exercises. Zinfandel may occur. Unfortunately, I have yet to find a Zin
I would pay good money for, but, is this a drinkable exponent of the
variety?
TIA
Cheers
Nils

On Jan 31, 6:30�am, "Nils Gustaf Lindgren"
wrote:
Hello
Trying to help Xina pass her two-honors and will therefore provide her with
some exercises. Zinfandel may occur. Unfortunately, I have yet to find a Zin
I would pay good money for, but, is this a drinkable exponent of the
variety?
TIA
Cheers
Nils

Don't remember having the Zin, but have had other grapes from Beringer
Founders Estate. General sense is slightly sweet mass market wines, I
think they retail for about $8 here.

On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 11:30:43 GMT, "Nils Gustaf Lindgren"
wrote:

Hello
Trying to help Xina pass her two-honors and will therefore provide her with
some exercises. Zinfandel may occur. Unfortunately, I have yet to find a Zin
I would pay good money for, but, is this a drinkable exponent of the
variety?
TIA
Cheers
Nils

My sympathy goes out to you. Being denied the experience of good
zinfandels is a terrible burden to bear. One of the prices to be paid
when we let government into the marketplace...

I've enjoyed Beringer Founders Estate varietals in the past, and like
Dale W. found them to be good if slightly on the over-blown,
Yellowtail/Little Penguin/Rex Goliath style of cheap grocery store
wines. That's not as bad as it sounds on first reading, they've been
at my dinner table on many an evening.

But if you would like a decent Zinfandel, some that you might search
for:

Ridge--many single vineyard bottlings, virtually always vintage,
almost all very good.

Ravenswood--many single vineyard, a couple of generic area styles,
some vintage and some not, and generally not as powerful as Ridge.

Renwood--good example of Amador County zinfandel. Range from very nice
to blow-your-head-off powerful at the Grandpere level. Vintage.

Fife--three or four labelled zins, not necessarily single vinetard. I
particularly like the Redhead and Whaler bottlings, but the Mendocino
is almost as good. Vintage.

Cline--mostly multi-vineyard and lower in price than the above. I've
found them comparable to the Ravenswood generics. Good QPR.

My experience is that good zins, are generally California and come
from Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino or Amador counties. Paso Robles seems to
produce a lot as well. The '05s are on the shelves now and
approachable, but the good ones like Ridge, Renwood, Fife, etc. can
hold very well for ten years or more.

Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
www.thunderchief.org
www.thundertales.blogspot.com

On Jan 31, 6:30�am, "Nils Gustaf Lindgren"
wrote:
Hello
Trying to help Xina pass her two-honors and will therefore provide her with
some exercises. Zinfandel may occur. Unfortunately, I have yet to find a Zin
I would pay good money for, but, is this a drinkable exponent of the
variety?
TIA
Cheers
Nils

Nils,
I find that the Beringer Founders Estate bears little resemblence
to good Zinfandel. I'm not sure what might be available in your part
of the world but you might look for Rosenblum, Ridge or Ravenswood.

Hello
I did a reality check with the not un-good Search engine of the Swedish
monopoly.

Ridge

No.


Ravenswood
Yes - Vintner's Blend Zinfandel SEK 99 (USD 15.50)

Renwood
No.

Fife
No.

Cline
Yes - Cline Zinfandel. SEK 89 (USD 14)

So, a grand total of two. These are superior to the Behringer object? You
say so, apparently Bi!! also considers Ravenswood superior, so it will have
to be that one ...

Not costly, any of them (but more than USD 8), so I'll invest in a good
Sancerre for starters ...

Cheers

Nils

On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 15:17:25 GMT, "Nils Gustaf Lindgren"
wrote:

Hello
I did a reality check with the not un-good Search engine of the Swedish
monopoly.

Ravenswood
Yes - Vintner's Blend Zinfandel SEK 99 (USD 15.50)

Cline
Yes - Cline Zinfandel. SEK 89 (USD 14)

So, a grand total of two. These are superior to the Behringer object? You
say so, apparently Bi!! also considers Ravenswood superior, so it will have
to be that one ...

Like DaleW, I've never tasted (or even seen) the Behringer FE zin
offering.

The Ravenswood Vintner's Blend is their entry level offering. I'm not
a great fan of Ravenswood, although they are widely respected. I'd
pass on that one.

The Cline (is it the "Old Vine"?) would probably be a good experience
and the price is not out of line--wouldn't be much cheaper in the US.

I'd pick the Cline.

Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
www.thunderchief.org
www.thundertales.blogspot.com

Nils Gustaf Lindgren wrote:
Hello
I did a reality check with the not un-good Search engine of the Swedish
monopoly.
Ridge

No.

Ravenswood
Yes - Vintner's Blend Zinfandel SEK 99 (USD 15.50)

Renwood
No.
Fife
No.
Cline
Yes - Cline Zinfandel. SEK 89 (USD 14)

So, a grand total of two. These are superior to the Behringer object? You
say so, apparently Bi!! also considers Ravenswood superior, so it will have
to be that one ...

Nils,
The Ravenswood Vintner's Blend (aka Château Cashflow) was once a
very correct, inexpensive Zin. Since their purchase by Constellation,
the Wal-Mart of the wine world, production has escalated and quality has
fallen. Do you know if the Cline is the "California" or "Ancient Vines"
bottling? The latter is a usually reliable cheapie Zin; the former is
less interesting. Regardless, I'd probably choose the Cline as the best
of a bad lot.

Mark Lipton

--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.hostexcellence.com

On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 06:40:54 -0800 (PST)
"Bi!!" wrote:

On Jan 31, 6:30�am, "Nils Gustaf Lindgren"
wrote:
Hello
Trying to help Xina pass her two-honors and will therefore provide her with
some exercises. Zinfandel may occur. Unfortunately, I have yet to find a Zin
I would pay good money for, but, is this a drinkable exponent of the
variety?
TIA
Cheers
Nils

Nils,
I find that the Beringer Founders Estate bears little resemblence
to good Zinfandel. I'm not sure what might be available in your part
of the world but you might look for Rosenblum, Ridge or Ravenswood.

The Beringer Zin is available in France too, I actually bought a bottle once
and found both unremarkable and untypical.

Given the Cline or Ravenswood "Vintners" I'd pick even the basic Cline without
a moments hesitation. There is vintage variation in the Cline, but I can remember
some that were very good QPR (for wine in the US, that is).

-E
--
Emery Davis
You can reply to ecom
by removing the well known companies
Questions about wine? Visit http://winefaq.hostexcellence.com

On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:21:21 +0100, Emery Davis
wrote:

but I can remember
some that were very good QPR (for wine in the US, that is).

-E

Ouch!

Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
www.thunderchief.org
www.thundertales.blogspot.com

On Jan 31, 12:21Â*pm, Emery Davis wrote:
On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 06:40:54 -0800 (PST)





"Bi!!" wrote:
On Jan 31, 6:30�am, "Nils Gustaf Lindgren"
wrote:
Hello
Trying to help Xina pass her two-honors and will therefore provide her with
some exercises. Zinfandel may occur. Unfortunately, I have yet to find a Zin
I would pay good money for, but, is this a drinkable exponent of the
variety?
TIA
Cheers
Nils

Nils,
Â* Â* I find that the Beringer Founders Estate bears little resemblence
to good Zinfandel. Â*I'm not sure what might be available in your part
of the world but you might look for Rosenblum, Ridge or Ravenswood.

The Beringer Zin is available in France too, I actually bought a bottle once
and found both unremarkable and untypical.

Given the Cline or Ravenswood "Vintners" I'd pick even the basic Cline without
a moments hesitation. Â*There is vintage variation in the Cline, but I can remember
some that were very good QPR (for wine in the US, that is).

-E
--
Emery Davis
You can reply to
by removing the well known companies
Questions about wine? Â*Visithttp://winefaq.hostexcellence.com- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I'd say the '99 Cline CA zin was in my top 5 under-$10 US wine values.
I haven't had last couple vintages, but I don't remember one that
wasn't at least ok.

Hello
I appreciate your kind help and advice - my gut feeling is that I appreciate
that more than the wine ... but, Cline it is. (It will come second to a
Sancerre Les Baronnes, which will accompany seared fresh water perch with a
truffle scented artichoke mousse ... mmmmmmm).
I am considering pairing the Zin with pork or lamb, perhaps fresh
blackberries and a small dab of my special vanilla olive oil, to underline
some of the aromas in the wine ... I'll report back.

Cheers

Nils

Nils Gustaf Lindgren wrote:
Hello
I appreciate your kind help and advice - my gut feeling is that I appreciate
that more than the wine ... but, Cline it is. (It will come second to a
Sancerre Les Baronnes, which will accompany seared fresh water perch with a
truffle scented artichoke mousse ... mmmmmmm).

Will the artichoke be strong enough in the mousse to affect the wine?

I am considering pairing the Zin with pork or lamb, perhaps fresh
blackberries and a small dab of my special vanilla olive oil, to underline
some of the aromas in the wine ... I'll report back.

Go with the lamb, Nils -- it's a "classic" pairing with Zin. My advice
would be to do it Greek style and place garlic cloves into a leg of lamb
and roast. Cline's Zins are fairly savory in character, though they do
have a characteristic mint/eucalyptus element IME.

Mark Lipton
--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.hostexcellence.com