# Old Vine Zins



## uavwmn (May 29, 2011)

Looking for an Old Vine Zin to try. I have not made any of these kits. Does anyone have a favorite they made that you would suggest?


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## Rocky (May 29, 2011)

Kathie, 


I am a big fan of the _RJ Spagnols Cellar Classic Winery Series_. I havetheir Old Vine Zinfandelgoing right now and I thnk it is going to be great.24807
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## ibglowin (May 29, 2011)

I have made the CC Showcase OVZ and its just OK. Not great, not bad, just OK, not much ZIn character IMHO and I will not be making another (others to try). Next time I will be trying the above RJS.


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## rrussell (May 29, 2011)

I made the winery series OVZ and it is very good. would recommend it anytime.


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## Dean (May 30, 2011)

Winery Series OVZ is very spicy with lots of Zin character.


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## uavwmn (Jun 5, 2011)

oo oo, thanks for the responses, guys. I like a bold, in your face, peppery tasting red wine.


I am leaning toward the RJS series.


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## uavwmn (Jun 5, 2011)

Mike, I do not know what the zin characters are so if you could enlighten me, it would be a big help.


Like I said, I have never tasted a zin or made a kit as yet.


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## ibglowin (Jun 5, 2011)

I would say raspberry, blackberry, cherry, plums, spice and blackpepper all wrapped around various intensities of oak depending on the wine maker.

We just opened a bottle of one of my current favorite inexpensive Zins last night served with grilled burgers, Joel Gott. Another good inexpensive one is the Rancho Zabaco (black label) Zin. 

Both of these are available in many stores across the US. You should find a bottle and try it to make sure you like the profile. This is a go to wine for any grilled meat or BBQ.


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## Brent2489 (Jun 5, 2011)

A good Zin is great with spicy food. We do a Jalapino-Pineapple salsa with pork loin. You get the sweet then the bite. We ALWAYS eat with a bottle or two of spicy Zin.


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## uavwmn (Jun 6, 2011)

Mike, I love a peppery type red wine. I ordered the RJS OVZ from George. In the meantime I will look for one of those bottles you suggested. Looking forward to making this one. 


Thanks everyone for the help!!


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## uavwmn (Jun 6, 2011)

Brent, that pineapple jalepeno salsa sounds awesome. I am from AZ and I grow my own jalepenos.



And I love spicy food, so I am looking forward to this wine.


Thanks for the help.


Kathie


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## Brent2489 (Jun 6, 2011)

We currently have 2 Jalapeno, 1 Ghost pepper and 5 Tomato. Love to marinate steaks with jalapeno, onions, spicy Montreal seasoning and grape seed oil (about 2 hrs in ziplock) and then onto the grill.

Nothing better!!!!







This is Wendy (wife) when we sometimes get too much jalapeno. 

I believe that jalapeno is like garlic.....You can't have too much!


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## Rocky (Jun 6, 2011)

Sounds really great, Brent. You did not mention adding any "vitamin G" to the marinade. Also, what cut of steak do you use? Thanks.


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## Waldo (Jun 7, 2011)

brent2489 said:


> A good Zin is great with spicy food. We do a Jalapino-Pineapple salsa with pork loin. You get the sweet then the bite. We ALWAYS eat with a bottle or two of spicy Zin.










Got a recipe for that salsa


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## uavwmn (Jun 7, 2011)

Brent and Wendy, that marinade sounds good. May try that this weekend.


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## RickC (Jun 7, 2011)

Here's a head to head comparison of the RJS Winery Series OV Zin and the Cellar Craft Showcase Lodi OVZ. Sorry for the delay but we just opened a 375 ml ofboth at 18 months since fermentation was completed. We started these 2 weeks apart so were under nearly identical conditions. Both fermented at about 75 deg. 
Changes to the kit instructions included fermenting both to dry in the primary (14 days). Added grape pack to bag and tied to platic spoon to keep trapped under the surface. Added 2 Med Plus American Oak spirals to the RJS for about 3 weeks. MyRJS kit only came with one small pack of French Oak shavings (wonder if additional oak was missing). We felt it a bit light in the oak when tasting after first racking off of solids. Aged both in carboy for 9 months. 


Tasting note for RJS at 18 months. Firm tannins, black pepper with overtones of black cherry. Good finish.


Tasting note for CC at 18 months. Fruit forward, starts with sweet note, cherry &amp; currant, smooth. Longer finish. Weaker in tannins. Sort of reminded me of some Australian Shiraz the way you first sense a slight sweetness but it isn't. 


Prior to purchasing these I talked to Joseph at FVW and his comment was that RJS could be expected to be more structured and the CC to be more fruit forward. He was right on. 


At this point I would recommend both ofthese kits, depending on your taste. I believe they will both be excellent wines with time. I liked the RJS betterand my wife liked the CC. We are both dry wine drinkers.


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## robie (Jun 7, 2011)

Hey Rick,

Thanks for that comparison. That's the sort of thing many of us need. 
Concerning the "slight sweetness but isn't", is the ABV higher in the CC than in the RJS?

I know many commercial OVZ's can be up in the 15% range. Higher alcohol, but below 40% can sometimes come across as extra sweetness.

My last trip to California wine country, I spent time in Northern Sonoma and in Mendocino County, where lots of Zin is grown/made. I did several tastings of multiple Zins, side-by-side, rather than one Zin, one Pinot, one cab, ..etc. There are some really great Zins, but most seem to come from the smaller boutique-style wineries, which you won't be able to sample unless you go there.

A side note, in the area where I did my tastings, it seemed to be common practice to mix a small percentage of Petite Syrah with the Zin to add body, mouth-feel and a little extra boldness. I liked that, since Petite Syrah is a favorite.


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## robie (Jun 7, 2011)

As another side, on that same trip I went to Kendall Jackson's huge tasting facility in Northern Sonoma County. I ask them why they didn't have a Zin.

They said the "old man" would never stoop low enough to produce a Zin. Hm-m-m-m, maybe there are wine snobs even in the wine industry...

I have heard that Zin grapes are less complex than some others, but wow, what about the great taste???


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## RickC (Jun 7, 2011)

The ABV for both was about the same.Starting SG for the RJS was 1.1 and 1.095 for the CC. Both fermented to 0.994. However, in my notes I said thatI was not sure that the grape pack was completelydispersed on the CC kit.That pack is more jammy and thick. I stirredthe bag around for about 30 minutes before taking the final ready. Should have waited a few hours or the following morning and checked again. First readingwas 1.08. 


Another possibility is the smoothness to the mouthfeel. Seems like a more velvety smooth finish tricks the tongue a bit.


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## RickC (Jun 7, 2011)

We love a good zin. Earthquake and Titus Zins (same company) are our favorites. If I ever duplicate these I will be a happy little winemaker. I look forward to my first trip to California to tour some of these.


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## robie (Jun 7, 2011)

RickC said:


> We love a good zin. Earthquake and Titus Zins (same company) are our favorites. If I ever duplicate these I will be a happy little winemaker. I look forward to my first trip to California to tour some of these.



Bogle makes a good Zin. My favorite is Terra d'Oro from Amador county, CA.

http://www.terradorowinery.com/amador-zinfandel.php

I hope you can make it out to CA wine country someday. It is a great experience for wine lovers.


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## Brent2489 (Jun 7, 2011)

Will ask Wendy for recipe. Currently on the road in beautiful Virginia. (100 degrees here!!)


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## Brent2489 (Jun 7, 2011)

Wendy will only eat Filet Mignon and I have to still remove any traces of fat. Typically I get NY Strip. But will eat any red meat that looks good in the meat locker at the grocery or the meat market.


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## Rocky (Jun 7, 2011)

Brent, Give a _boneless rib steak_ a try. This cut has been proven time after time as the tastiest cut of beef in blind tastings. You will have to do some additional trimming but I think you will be very pleased.


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## uavwmn (Jun 9, 2011)

Rick, what an awesome comparison. Thank you for the in depth report on both of these great wines. I may now have to make both. lol
I love hard wine purchasing decisions. haha


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## Rocky (Jun 9, 2011)

uavwmn said:


> Rick, what an awesome comparison. Thank you for the in depth report on both of these great wines. I may now have to make both. lol
> I love hard wine purchasing decisions. haha








We all do because there are no "wrong" decisions and buying both is always a great decision!


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## Brent2489 (Jun 11, 2011)

Rocky, Will look for boneless rib.

Here is recipe:
Jalapeno-Pineapple Salsa with Pork Loin
Makes enough for 4.

1 pork loin
1 Pineapple peeled and sliced into rings (1/2" thick)
1/4 cup Red onion
2 tbsp Lime Juice
2-4 Jalapeno Peppers (depends on your heat tolerance, we tend toward 4-5. Remove seeds and ribs for lower heat.)
2 tbsp Minced Red Bell Pepper
1 tbsp Cilantro
Olive Oil
Salt


Brush pineapple with olive oil and grill 2-3 mins each side, until softened and grill marked.
Allow pineapple to cool to room temperature.

Dice pineapple and put into food processor. Run for coarse chop on pineaple.
Add 2 tbsp lime juice
add 2 tbsp olive oil
add red onion
add pinch salt
add jalapenos
add red pepper
add cilantro

Run food processor until it has consistancy of stiff apple sauce.


Grill pork loin, slice and add a heaping spoonful of Salsa to each slice.
Should get sweet from pineapple then bite of jalapino.

My mouth is watering right now!!! Having this for dinner tonight!!!


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## Rocky (Jun 11, 2011)

Brent, just to confirm, you are using a _pork loin_ and not a _pork tenderloin_, right? This recipe sounds outstanding and I can't wait to try it. And wow, 4-5 Jalapenos without removing the ribs and seeds! Are you trying to burn down Atlanta again!?


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## ibglowin (Jun 11, 2011)

I would go with the tenderloin!



Sounds delish!


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## Rocky (Jun 11, 2011)

I'm with you Mike. I like to use the tenderloin myself. I trim and silver it and then cut it into about 3/4-1" thick slices. I then take the slices and pound them down with a meat tenderizer to about 3/8" thick. With these cuts, I can flash fry them for about 45 seconds oneach side in a hot pan, grill them on top of the range or saute them in garlic and butter. From there, they are ready for inclusion in a number of dishes. They are tender enough to cut with a nasty look!


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