Well it’s a marvelous weekend for a fire pit gathering, with or without the stars up above in your eyes. (Apologies to Van Morrison’s Moondance.) A delicious fireside wine? It’s gotta be a deep, dark Zinfandel that can hold its own, no food needed. I love the label on the Plungerhead Old Vine Zinfandel from Lodi, which is always a reason for me to choose a wine. This one is as delicious as its label is captivating. It hits all the notes of a nice Zinfandel – lots of rich dark fruit notes of pomegranate and blackberry, with warm spice notes of chocolate and a hint of clove. Turns out it’s a carefully crafted blend of 84% Zinfandel, 11% Petite Sirah, 2% Mourvedre, 2% Tempranillo, and 1% Merlot. It always amazes me that just 1 or 2 percent of a varietal can have such an influence on a wine, but it can, and does. This wine is sumptuous, big, and balanced in the glass, and at 15.5% alcohol by volume, it’ll get the stories flowing around the fire pit. Actually, s’mores would be a fantastic pairing with this wine.
