I swear I will never do it again. Part Deux

I know I said I wouldn’t, but I had to have other White Zins to compare with that horrendous Beringer. So I did. This last Saturday, I reluctantly partook of Tweedledum and Tweedledee: Sutter Home and E&J Gallo White Zins, respectively.

I suppose I should take a moment to explain why I was drinking White Zinfandel to begin with…not sure if I did in previous posts and too lazy to take a look to verify…

A hypothetic incident at the shop:

One possible day at the store, a walk-in, walk-around gentleman I have never seen before (and haven’t since) may have tottered in with a potentially, distinctively inebriated air about him - literally. He might have hung around the cash register, waiting for others to leave and then perhaps began to ‘soap box’ about his favorite wine. The conversation could have progressed as follows:

Inebriated gent: “I’d be a terrible customer.” Swaying slightly.

Me: “Why is that?” Smiling patiently and slightly amused.

Inebriated gent: “I know for a fact that the besht wine in the world is lesh than $5 a bottle!” Waves hand dismissively towards the cabernet racks. Rocks back and forth a little.

Me: “Which wine would that be?” Curious and definitely amused.

Inebriated gent: “I know the distributor personally and travel to the vineyard every year. My wife and I buy wine by the case from them…drink 3 to 4 glasses eash every night!” Proclaims knowingly, nodding. Gives a sidelong glance to check and see that I am attentive. Steps over to glance around a rack and lands on the side of his shoe.

Me: “Which vineyard do you visit?” Because I have to ask. It’s expected now.

Inebriated gent: “Why Sutter Home, of course! Their White Zinfandel is the best!” (Of course!) Shocked that I didn’t already know.

Me: “Wow. That’s great!” What else would I say? They also produce Trinchero.

Inebriated gent: “So I would be a terrible customer….’cause you could never show me a better wine at a lower price. I’d never be happy!”

Me: “Well, you are probably right!”

The point is, after he made his way out of the shop, I might have looked up Sutter Home online to see what others have to say about it. Most people who know more than a little about Trinchero, probably also know that Trinchero Family Estates owns Sutter Home Family Vineyards and most of the current production of the Trinchero line was facilitated by the invention and subsequent, dramatic success of White Zinfandel. Surprisingly, or maybe I just didn’t dig deep enough; there is little complaint or accolade about either Sutter Home and/or White Zinfandel. If you Google it, though, you do come across at least one or two interesting blogs, one of which by an oenophile who came across two bottles of ’93 Sutter Home White Zinfandel, which had been resting in his grandparents’ cellar. Needless to say, it was not palatable to him, but not terrible or poisonous, as one might imagine it had become – I think he described it as somewhat cooked – like Madeira, but without the overt sweetness and possessing more acidity. Interesting.

Anywho, I began to look back at the wines I've tried and enjoyed and realized that I'd not had White Zin in years and years - maybe even more than ten. Figured it was time to try it again and see if, after all this time, it tasted like I remembered it, like chilled, wet sweat socks smell.

Back to my tasting, then. My six years of wine drinking finds me at a crossroads. I am in no way a wine snob, nor do I qualify as one – see my previous post – however, I know what I like. I just don’t drink White Zinfandel at all. There are plenty of pink and/or sweet wines that are much more palatable at nearly equivalent prices, if you want to keep the tab low. (Some would note here that they are not wine snobs, but that is such a wine snob thing to say. Be honest, people will respect you more! I will just mention that I really don’t like it and would rather drink no wine at all than White Zin. Many love it and that’s great! Doesn't mean I have to, but drink up America! Responsibly, of course.) My PSA for today!

I didn’t hate Tweedledum (Sutter Home WZ) as much as I thought I would. Surprise, surprise! That said, it is incredibly sweet and with the sweetness comes bitterness and sour notes that are nothing like the enjoyable mouth pucker derived from tart, crisp Sauvignon Blanc. The sweetness lacks that nectar-like headiness to it that I prefer with sweeter wines I enjoy, which is why I tend to gravitate toward late harvest whites for desserts or aperitifs. It was dry, which was actually a good thing, but the fruitiness reminded me of unripe, green or yellow strawberries. Despite these qualities, I understand why it appeals to others. It is inexpensive, low in alcohol (9% - so you could drink 3-4 glasses a night if so inclined – but why?) and you could drink it with food, because there is no danger of it ever overpowering your meal. I did, however, drink every bit of it, though, knowing that the few dollars ($5) spent on this wine contributes to the production of better wines, like Trinchero’s Meritage, Zinfandel, and Cabernet. To each his or her own, I say, and keep the good grapes growing for the rest of us!

As for Tweedledee (Gallo WZ)…I can think of a few other occupations for the $5 spent on that bottle. The list includes Taco Bell, a gallon of gas, and a lighter. This wine is like drinking a wine cooler – all you get is a sweaty neck and a headache. I’m done with it.

*The pink or rose wines I mentioned before include Bonny Doon’s Big House Pink and Chateau Beachene Cotes du Rhone Rose – I have had very good results with these two very lovely wines. Yes, they are considered starter wines, but for the value (under and around $10) they are great for everyday or when company comes, does not know the difference, and expects me to drink it, too.