The Zen of Zin California's Friendly Red make Fine Holiday Sippers

There is nothing scientific about tallying up which wines guests bring to the table, but if, as usual, nine out of 10 are red, it's more than a trend.

I'm so tired of red wine with everything that more often than not, I bring the only white wine to a party. Then I get to enjoy most of it, because everyone else is busy drinking all that red.

I suspect red will remain the dominant wine colour this holiday season, so today we explore California's signature red zinfandel. Once immensely popular with the punters as a fun everyday red, zin's popularity has been sideswiped by the rush to shiraz.

What attracts me to zinfandel is its soft textures and aromatic berry fruit flavours, reminiscent of cinnamon, black cherries and plums. It's been described before as a comfortable old pair of shoes, an allusion perhaps to its soft, easy-sipping nature and low tannins.

Zinfandel can also be enjoyed with a wide variety of foods: chicken duck, pastas, sausages and any number of cheeses are sure to be on the cocktail circuit. If you are clutching a zinfandel you will be well on your way to the perfect match.

That's not to say there aren't some big peppery alcoholic examples of zinfandel that can knock your socks off, but today we profile some party picks that take the middle road.

A good all-round example at an affordable price is the Painter Bridge Zinfandel 2002. The nose is a mix of spicy, pruney, blackberry and cola aromas streaked with pepper. It's soft round and supple on the palate with cedar bark, more spicy, pruney, blackberry flavours, and a wisp of vanilla. The finish is dry and slightly tannic calling for a grilled meat or chicken appetizer.

The Rancho Zabaco Dancing Bull Zinfandel 2002 boasts a Sonoma County appellation with a very affordable $15 price tag. Look for a spicy, smoky, peppery nose flecked with blackberry and briar notes. The entry is ripe and sweet but with fresh acidity and plenty of smoky, blackberry, licorice and black plum flavours. The finish is warm (alcoholic) and slightly acidic, reminiscent of so many Australian shiraz.

The Woodbridge Old Vines Zinfandel Fish Net Creek 2001 steps out of the normal Woodbridge mould thanks to some intense old vine Lodi fruit. Pepper and prunes mark a nose of saddle leather, cedar bark and ripe black cherry jam. The fruit is beginning to dry out showing more pepper, black cherry, licorice and cedar bark flavours. A fine old vine zinfandel that will repay drinking this winter season.

Pepper, cedar bark, black berry and chocolate aromas invite you into the Ironstone Vineyards Old Vine Zinfandel 2001, another Lodi zin. On the palate it offers the requisite soft tannins and black berry fruit mixed with licorice, cedar bark and chocolate flavours. Rustic in style but perfect to accompany the likes of pizza and or ribs.

Inniskillin Okanagan Zinfandel Bear Cub Vineyard 2002 is B.C.'s first commercial zinfandel. Expect a big black wine with a warm (alcoholic) nose and chocolate, smoky vanilla, black cherry jam and licorice aromas. It's both ripe and elegant on the palate with more vanilla, pepper, black cherry, saddle leather flavours. It's dry and somewhat tannic on the finish, but there appears to be enough fruit to wait for the rest of the wine to settle down over the next two or three years. Available in select VQA and private wine stores only.

Sonoma remains home to California's most significant zinfandel production and Kenwood is a quality producer as evidenced by the Kenwood Zinfandel 2001. Spicy, briary, blackberry, pepper fruit mixes with exotic orange peel aromas and a touch of vanilla and cedar. Plenty of spicy, black cherry jam flavours and bits of cedar bark, pepper, chocolate and cola all come together in the finish. Fine fruit and balance. Well done.

Wine   Painter Bridge Zinfandel 2002, California

Price   $14.99

UPC    089121168523

Score  85/100

Remarks        Supple style Zin with cedar bark, spice and black berry flavours.

Wine   Rancho Zabaco Dancing Bull Zinfandel 2002, Sonoma County, California

Price   $14.99

UPC    085000010181

Score  86/100

Remarks        Sweet, smoky, spicy, blackberry, black plum Oz shiraz-like.

Wine   Woodbridge Old Vines Zinfandel Fish Net Creek 2001, Lodi, California

Price   $16.99

UPC    086003002326

Score  86/100

Remarks        Peppery, black cherry, licorice and cedar bark, old vine flavours.

Wine   Ironstone Vineyards Old Vine Zinfandel 2001, Lodi, California

Price   $19.50

UPC    724826111213

Score  85/100

Remarks        Fun easy sipping pizza and or ribs-style zin.

Wine   Inniskillin Okanagan Zinfandel Bear Cub Vineyard 2002, Okanagan Valley

Price   $21.95 *

UPC    620654010516

Score  88/100

Remarks        B.C.'s first commercial zinfandel is big warm and spicy.

Wine   Kenwood Zinfandel 2001, Sonoma County, California

Price   $23.99

UPC    10986003032

Score  88/100

Remarks        Spicy, black cherry jam zin perfect with osso buco or a lamb shank.

* VQA and private wine stores only.