After a particularly tiring week, I decided to cap off my Friday with a nice, BIG red. I am not always into big wines (and certainly would not be today as the temperature reaches for 100 degrees!), and I know some people abhor these redder-than-reds. And I can’t blame them; when “big” wines are done wrong, they taste like grape juice fortified with rubbing alcohol. Cheap tequila should make you feel the burn, a mid-priced Zinfandel shouldn’t.
Unfortunately, this is what my throat experienced after I cracked open the bottle of Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel recently. At first it doesn’t seem bad, it is very rich and very fruity, but then, as you swallow you get that unpleasant burn of alcohol that starts at the back of your throat and sends astringent vapor into your nose. I was surprised as I have enjoyed this wine in the past, but this must have been a different vintage (2006).
It made me long for the great, but difficult to find in my area, Layer Cake Shiraz, which was a huge wine I tried a month or so ago, full of bold flavors of berries and chocolate. There is a good reason the Layer Cake brand, which produces wines in Australia (Shiraz), Italy (Primitivo), and Argentina (Malbec) has garnered a cult following. They make big wines that are richer, more complex, and more satisfying than their alcohol-bomb brethren. (Well, I have not had the Malbec, and considering that varietal’s characteristics, may very well not be as big a wine.) Even better, all Layer Cake varietals are $20 and under!
They aren’t a giant producer, so their wines can be difficult to find, but if you see a label with a luscious chocolate cake on the label, by all means, buy a slice.
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