2018 Ridge East Bench Zinfandel as Gwen Stefani

Zinfandel! If you get an instant hangover just thinking about Zin, you’re probably thinking about white Zinfandel, a medium-sweet rose style created by leaving the skins on for a day or two. I try not to generalize too much, but ewwww. Do not let your memories of white Zin color your thoughts about Zinfandel the grape!

It pretty much grows in 2 places, California and Italy (where it’s called Primitivo) and needs a warm climate to attain the level of ripeness that the grapes need. That typically makes Zin high alcohol, high tannin, high acid and fully body. High quality ages really well and lower quality should just be… had, probably with some cheese.

This particular bottle is excellent. I might be biased because it was one of the wines served at a wedding I recently attended – paired with BBQ – and a wine is only as good as your memory of it anyways. This wine has a lot of contrasting flavors and I found it to be delightful to drink on its own, as well as with the food. It is super jammy, and I got the feeling that it started off as red fruit and warmed into black fruit on the vine – blackberry, cassis, dark sweet cherries, figs. It has peppery notes and clove from the oak, and the structure of the wine is that of high tannin and high acid. This means the tannins make your mouth feel dry but the acid makes your mouth water, so the balance is there. At almost 15% ABV, this wine packs a punch too!

That’s why this wine as a celeb is Gwen Stefani. It’s forward, loud, and in your face. It has moments of sweetness because of the jammy flavors but it’s not actually sweet – it’s dry and has a bit of an edge. It swings from “Don’t Speak” to “I’m Just a Girl” to “Hollaback Girl” all in one go. It’s good young and aged (just like Gwen!).

Don’t judge Zin like you would Gwen – there’s some depth here. Go back and explore Tragic Kingdom while you open up a bottle and let it all unfold.