I’m going to make a few assumptions about this wine simply by doing a quick Google search. I typed in ‘Zen of Zin’ and didn’t get a winery website. Instead, Ravenswood winery came up, yet after looking through its wine catalogue, it makes no mention of Zen of Zin. So I’m going to assume that it’s a bottom tier wine made by Ravenswood (yet they don’t want their name on the label) or it’s made from grapes purchased from different growers across California but made and bottled at Ravenwood’s facility in Geyserville, CA. Either way, I wasn’t able to find much information on this one.
What I DO Know
This bottle has an eye catching label, a quirky name and is made from Zinfandel grown (somewhere) in California.
The bottle: Zen of Zin 2013
The scene: Watching Walking Dead on Sunday night
The food: BBQ Chicken pizza from Fresh Slice
I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Raspberry
Everything about this wine screams raspberry to me. From the colour, which looks bright and cheery just like Kool-Aid – to the finish, which kind of reminded me of those red berry Swedish candies. It’s not overly sweet, but it’s definitely the dominant characteristic. I noticed only a small touch of herbal and spice on the nose. Zinfandel grapes naturally have a pretty high sugar content, and after noticing the alcohol on this bottle is 13.5%, I’m going to (again) make an assumption that the wine maker could have fermented this a bit longer and cooked off some of the sugar resulting in a less sweet yet slightly higher alcohol wine. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an ok wine with some good acidity and a middle of the road finish, but it’s somewhat simplistic.
I’ll Take A ‘Meh’ for $500, Alex
Not bad, but not great. What I do appreciate is how well-marketed this wine is. The back label screams ‘Zinlightenment’ explaining what’s inside (Old Vine Zinfandel) and what it should taste like. While I didn’t necessary taste much toffee or blackberry jam flavours, maybe you will if you happen to pick up a bottle for yourself.
Zinfandel is high on my list of varietals I’d like to explore more (along with Tempranillo, Grenache and Chenin Blanc if you’re keeping track).
Cheers to finding your own ‘Zinlightenment’ 🙂