4th of July is America’s Independence Day, and I’m dedicating this post to our family and friends who are “partying in the USA” (shamelessly plugging Miley Cyrus’ song here). Right now, they are probably having good food, awesome company, and copious amounts of wine.
To capture the spirit of the festivities, try a Zinfandel, a grape that has thrived for years in California.
I have discussed the grape at length in a previous blog post (click here), so let me highlight a particular brand for this entry.
California Dreamin’
Sutter Home owes its “success” to Bob Trinchero (in fact, a lot of wine literature cannot separate the man from the grape). After the Judgment of Paris in the late 70’s which put California’s Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay on the (wine world) map (thanks to Stag’s Leap and Chateau Montelena), people on the West Coast started uprooting non-Cab Sauv and non-Chard vines. Trinchero kept his Zinfandel vines. He continued to produce them under his label, Sutter Home.
Now, some literature will also mention other players in the American Zinfandel scene (“King of Zin” Paul Draper of Ridge Vineyards comes to mind when we try to put “quality” and “Zinfandel” in the same sentence), but do give Sutter Home a try. It’s juicy, has elements of black peppers, and has a nice acidity (perfect for drinking alone or with barbeque and burgers for a 4th of July picnic).
So, to our family and friends in the States, cheers!
