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Trader Joe’s Wine: Grower’s Reserve Zinfandel 2009

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Trader Joe's Zinfandel

Trader Joe's Zinfandel

A wine moment with Delaina…the sipping continues….

I believe I have mentioned that I for the most part love Zinfandels. I am seduced by their smooth flavor and enchanted by their complexity. Don’t get me wrong you will often read me saying the same thing about other red wines but I have never met a Zinfandel I did not love.

Here is a wonderful example of a great zin: Trader Joe’s  Grower’s Reserve Zinfandel 2009. I was very impressed by this $5.99 Zin. I shared this bottle with a friend, as we worked on a project and we were both impressed. The wine came from ASV Wines in San Martin, California. I have never heard of that vineyard, but will tell you I won’t soon forget it.

Funny….I have not even told you the best part.

Beyond this wine being one of the most enjoyable with all of the right things- smoothness, complexity, and under $6 – it is also organic. Yep! you read that right- organic. I could not believe it. Another value bonus from Trader Joe’s

So the label talks about the wine’s flavor as a mixture of berry and plum with a hint of pepper.  I always look for reds that are described with berry, plum and sometime cherry tones, but as I rule I stay away from peppery. I just find that my taste buds will latch on to the peppery and taste nothing else. This usually puts me at odds with many Chilian wines. Never mind,  the point that I am trying to get across,  is that I could not taste the pepper, or maybe more to the point if there was a hint of pepper it only enhanced the berry and plum flavors.

Trader Joe's Delish Zinfandel, 2009

Trader Joe's Delish Zinfandel, 2009

So just in case you were not sure…I highly recommend the Trader Joe’s Grower’s Reserve Zinfandel. I would serve it with anything or just sip it by itself because it is a very drinkable wine. I hope you enjoy this wine at least as much as I have enjoyed talking about it.

Cheers!

Delaina

Trader Joe’s Wine: Penfolds Rawson’s Retreat, 2008

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Penfold's Rawson's Retreat, 2008

Penfold's Rawson's Retreat, 2008

A Wine Moment with Delaina, the sipping continues….

There are a number of reasons that I choose to purchase a wine. Sometimes it is a recommendation, sometimes because of a tasting (ohhh thanks Trader Joe’s), but there is one more, slightly odd reason…

Sometimes wines call to me and make me purchase because of their labels. If they have a cool label that I like, then somehow I feel that the wine inside will also be to my liking. Another, less glamorous reason that pushes me to buy a particular bottle is based on if the bottle has a cork or screw top. Yes, this makes me really sound like a boozer, but I had a good reason, really!

Here is the full story: We were visiting some friends who are not wine drinkers and I forgot my wine opener.  I remembered this as we were heading off to Trader Joe’s to pick up some appetizers (and wine) to nibble on before dinner. Ugh!

So as you can imagine I bought this wine because it had a screw top. I must admit that I stood and contemplated this purchase for a minute. See, once upon a time I thought wines with screw tops wines were crap!  But now I admit that this is no longer the case. The second reason that made me stop and think about my purchase was that this wine was Australian, and again, once upon a time, Australian wines were too sweet for my tastes.  But that personal myth has recently been overturned, and so I took the plunge and purchased wine that had both a screw top and a “cool” lable.

The wine I purchased was:  Penfolds’s 2008 Rawson’s Retreat, which was a blend of a Shiraz and a Cabernet Sauvignon. WOW, this wine was a pleasant surprise. It is no back alley twist-top yucky sweet wine. This red has a great blend of boldness and only cost 5.99 at Trader Joes.  Such a deal!

Now to be truthful, this is not a wine that I would drink alone, but it pairs nicely with roasted chicken and potatoes. Or if you are having a “tapas night”  it pairs nicely with a sharp cheese such as  Kerrygold Dubliner cheese imported from Ireland sold at Trader Joes and Trader Joe’s Pitted Kalamata Olives- yes we tried it:)   In fact I think this wine would pair nicely with almost anything.

However, having said that, I would not recommend having it with Trader Joe’s Orange Chicken – and yes, I tried it 🙁   The sweet Oriental flavors were not the best match for this bold and dare I say dryish wine, by Australian standards.

Nonetheless, is a great wine that will complement most foods,  but might be a bit too complex for beginning wine drinkers.

If you enjoyed this Wine Moment with Delaina, please take a minute to leave us a comment below. Even if you just want to say hello we just love to hear from all of you!

Trader Joe’s Wine Monte Ducay Reserva

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I thought I would give some more details to my Wine Moments with Delaina video. This month we  featured Monte Ducay Reserva 2005 from Carinena, Espana.

The wine is on the dry side with a nicely complex flavor. The color is a rich ruby red and with a little air the drinker could get lost in the bottle. Seriously… this is a serious red wine from Spain. I would definitely buy it again.

Trader Joes offers this beauty for $5.99 in Tucson and it was worth every cent.

If you want to try this wine I would suggest paring it Manchego cheese (also from Spain), which conveniently Trader Joe’s sells (I am sure that Kris will feature it at some point). As for a main dish suggestion,  this wine would of course pair nicely with a vegetarian, seafood, or meat laden paella.

As this is my first posted wine review, from my new series Wine Moments With Delaina there are some things you should know about your reviewer before you put to much stock in to my wine taste.

1. I can drink red wine with anything- even eggs (although that does not happen very often — and never for breakfast).

2. I am for the most part a red wine fan.

3. As summer nears I am sure I will feature a white wine that has been lightly chilled, but in general,  I like to drink my wine on the “warmer” side.   I feel like the flavors of wine are smother and more evident when the wine is warmer. When I am in a restaurant that serves a cold or “chilled” wine, especially a white wine, I don’t feel as if I get the full flavor of the wine until the end of the glass, when it has had a chance to warm up a bit.

So now that you know my tastes I hope that my opinions, as they come, will help pair you with some great wines that in my opinion are rich treasures at Trader Joes.

Just in case you forgot to click on the weekly video, here again is my first video in the Wine Moments With Delaina series.

Cheers!