ZAP

I was lucky enough to sit in on a zinfandel symposium through the Society of Wine Educators, of which I am a member.  It was presented by the Association of Zinfandel Advocates & Producers, otherwise known as ZAP.  It was held at Restaurant SD26 at Madison Square Park in Manhattan.

ZAP is a non profit organization that, according the promo literature, is "dedicated to the advancing the public's knowledge of and appreication for Zinfandel grown in America and its unique place in American culture and history."  Indeed, zinfandel does have a rich American history and is really unique to our country.  Zinfandel originated in Austria, not southern Italy as previously suggested.

Three producers were present to talk about the nuances of zinfandel grown in the Napa Valley, Sonoma Valley and Paso Robles in the central coast. 

Carol Shelton, owner and winemaker of Carol Shelton Wines, talked about her wines and Sonoma zins.  A lot are field blends (meaning blended with all sorts of different grapes, but having the minimum 75% zinfandel), ripe, jammy, peppery, spice.  Depending on where it's grown in Sonoma, some zinfandels will show mineral and earthy characteristics and red fruit.

Duane Dappen, owner and winemaker of D-cubed Cellars in Napa, talked about wines from the Napa region.  They are intensely fruity, peppery, full bodied+ and tannic.

Doug Beckett, owner of Peachy Canyon Winery, talked about zins from Paso Robles.  Here, the zinfandels are more fruit forward, with raspberry and chocolate flavors and not very oaked.  The west side of Paso Robles has higher elevations, more rainfall and is cooler.  The east side is flatter and has more sun.  What does that mean?  It means that the east side Paso zins will be lighter in color and less concentrated.  We should taste more leather and tobacco from the west side zins.  Interesting.

We next tasted 8 zinfandels blind and were to guess which region they came from.  I found it a great exercise. 

The first group was from Napa.  The 3 wines I tasted were spicy, peppery, full bodied and tannic with fruit flavors of blackberries, black cherries, black plums, dried fruit as well. 

The second flight was from Paso Robles.  I tasted red and black plums, jam, leather notes, mineralty and herbs.  These were a little lighter in color than the other two regions.

The third flight were Sonoma wines.   There was lots of minerality, more acidity than the first two flights, flavors of stewed fruits, plums and prunes.

Full disclosure: I was never a big zinfandel fan.  Really.  I just found it too big, too peppery, too jammy, too full in the mouth.  I know, some people are really into that 'full thing' and that's OK by me.  There's always a wine to fit all tastes and that's one of the great things about the beverage. 

Overall, I enjoyed them all, but I realize I like zinfandels from Paso Robles.  They tasted a little more refined and really showed the essence of zinfandel, even for a young wine.  (Most of these were from the 2008 or 2009 vintage.)  I also thought that these wines would be more food friendly than the fuller zins.  My favorite two wines were Proulx Wines (pronounced "prew") and Peachy Canyon. 

Then a beautiful 3-course lunch followed the blind tasting.  We started the meal with a homemade fettuccine, coriander scended baby lamb ragu, fava beans and fresh mint.  Then I had beef cheeks braised in spiced red wine with savoy cabbage and semolina gnocchi.  The assorted wines complemented the dishes so well.  For dessert, an extra bitter chocolate fondant that oozed out chocolate was paired with pistacchio ice cream and raspberry coulis.  Carol Shelton served a dessert zinfandel to pair with it.  It was just sublime. 

The next time you find yourself in a wine shop, look for a zinfandel.  Try it.  If you're REALLY in the mood, try one from Paso Robles, Sonoma and Napa.  Tell me if you find those characteristics as the winemakers described.

Appetizer

Beef Cheek main course

Links:
http://www.zinfandel.org/
http://www.societyofwineeducators.org/
http://www.sd26ny.com/
http://www.dcubedcellars.com/
http://www.carolshelton.com/
http://www.peachycanyon.com/
http://www.proulxwines.com/

Weekend in New York, Italian Style

The other night, Guiseppe and I went out to dinner with another couple to Scalinatella.  It's one of those places in NYC that, unless you're looking for this place, you probably would not find it.  First of all, the storefront, is nothing more than a glass entrance that leads to a set of stairs down to where the restaurant is located.  It's a little grotto-like, which is, I suppose, part of the charm.  If you want to be incognito.  I read in the paper that Dominique Strauss-Kahn ate here for dinner one night when he was holed up in the city to defend his 'legal problem'.  I know now why.  No one would find him there, except Page Six. 

The food and service though, were both excellent.  We started out with some antipasti of sauteed zucchini that reminded my dear friend, Ellen, of how her grandmother used to make it.  It was sauteed with garlic and oil until it was brown and crispy.  There was enough vinegar in there that it caused my mouth to salivate for more.  I had the zucchini flowers to start, which were stuffed with ricotta and mozzarella cheeses.  Crispily fried on the outside, oozing cheese on the inside with just enough sauce to coat it, not drench it.  Guiseppe and I shared the branzino.  It was cooked oh so right and it was super moist.  They must've fried our plates, because once the fish was deboned and plated, all I heard was sizzling.  Served with a parsley, vinegar and oil concoction, it was tart, herby and mild.  It did not overtake the flavor of the fish.

Then after Palm Sunday service, Guiseppe said he wanted to go for a walk.  So we walked up Madison Avenue and stopped in a place called Via Quadronno.  This place is long and narrow, like most of the clientele that frequent here.  If you're not slender, don't bother.  You probably won't fit through the front door, let alone get past the even more slender path to the back dining area.  I remember reading about this place in a NYTimes article years ago.  And that William Grimes article was prominently displayed on the wall dated back in 2002 in the front of the restaurant.  (Was it that long ago?)  Anyhow, the article wrote about the best cappucinos in Manhattan and Via Quadronno had one of the best.  Little did I know that they also served more than just little bites of cheese and salami.  Lasagna al forno, spaghetti bolognese and minestrone are apparently delicious.  I had a cappucino with an arugula, tomato and parmesan salad.  After all, I would have to fit through the door to exit the place or they would have to lock me up inside till I slimmed down!

Links:
http://www.zagat.com/r/scalinatella-manhattan
http://www.viaquadronno.com/