Sunday, March 18, 2007

Beringer White Zinfandel

Taking a quick break from the San Diego food entries...

Important fact about me - I love wine. Someone should get me a shirt that says "Oenophile" or "Sideways" on it so I could wear it with pride while trotting around Napa, glass in one hand and a platter of cheese in the other.

So what better way for me to relax and unwind after long hours of studying and working than to open a bottle? I had one of my favorites this past weekend - Beringer White Zinfandel. Three reasons why I love it:

1. It's pink. How much more feminine can you get than reclining in your chair swirling a glass of pink liquid? It would probably be Elle Wood's drink of choice (if they had gotten around to that in the movie, but they were too busy focusing on her legal prowess).

2. It tastes like strawberries. And along with that, hints of cherry, citrus flavors, just the right level of sweetness (unlike this Austrailian muscat I tried the other night, which was so sweet it tasted like cough syrup with sugar), and a clean finish that leaves a hint of strawberries on your palate. It's hard to dislike this wine unless you detest strawberries. And how could you not like strawberries?

3. It's cheap. I got a few bottles at Food Maxx for $3.99 each. Granted, they were on sale, but the original price was only $5.99. You can get a 750 mL bottle for $6 off the Beringer website. But don't let the price fool you - this is not poor quality wine! Unless of course, you're the kind of person who sips on Opus 1 on an ordinary day (in which case you need to become my new friend).

White zin in glass, under light

This calls for a quote from one of my favorite movies, "Sideways":

Miles: First thing, hold the glass up and examine the wine against the light. You're looking for color and clarity ... Now, tip it. What you're doing here is checking for color density as it thins out towards the rim ... Stick your nose in it ... mm, a little citrus, maybe some strawberry, passionfruit ... and there's just a flutter of like a nutty, Edam cheese.
Jack: (smelling wine) Wow. Strawberries, yeah. Strawberries. Not the cheese ... When do we drink it?
Miles: Now.
(Both down their glasses.)
Miles: (dismayed look) Are you chewing gum?!

Thankfully, I was not chewing gum, but rather on asiago pressato cheese that I couldn't resist buying at Bristol Farms. It's a younger cheese (asiago d'allevo is its older counterpart) that's sweet, rich, buttery, and just slightly tangy. Delicious with or without wine!

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Beringer is EXCELLENT. Beringer's White Merlot is also fantastic and a pretty color as well (a pretty ruby red, but not so opaque). Not only is Beringer's wine inexpensive, but it is also delicious and aesthetically pleasing.

Passionate Eater said...

Wow, your description confirms that you really have an advanced palate! I remember watching that scene in Sideways and totally relating to the guy from Wings.

Douglas Cress said...

a glass of wine and a plate of cheese - sounds like the life :)

Unknown said...

that plate of cheese looks... delicious :p

Anonymous said...

It was Beringer's White Zinfandel the culprit behind the loving moments that led our first encounter. A tenatious devoration of eachother's desire to experiment the feelings at an age difference that can not be mentioned. It was so fantastic that we had 7 more bottles lasting hours of fun and more. HAPPY BIRTHDAY... MAITE.