Roasted Salmon Glazed with Brown Sugar and Mustard + 2013 Under The Wire Sparkling Zinfandel Rosé #WinePW

The theme for this month’s Wine Pairing Weekend (#WinePW) is Zinfandel – America’s Grape! I thought it would be fun to feature Zinfandel one doesn’t see very often – Sparkling Zinfandel Rosé!

About Zinfandel

First why “America’s Grape? I’ll let none other than Paul Draper, who along with Robert Mondavi and André Tchelistcheff are the only Americans honored as the Decanter’ Men of the Year, explain it.

In the book “On California-From Napa to Nebbiolo…Tales from the Golden State”, he wrote “Enter Zinfandel, the Horatio Alger of varietals, the ‘True American’. Born of peasant stock somewhere in Europe, Zinfandel did not make its name or fortune in its native land…Not until it was planted on the hillsides of California’s cool North Coast did it find its ideal soils and climate…The orphan had found a home where, properly handled, it could produced wine of such quality that it might some day stand beside the noblest varieties in the world

More about Zinfandel

  • The grape we know as Zinfandel, originated in Croatia and its historic name is Tribidrag.
  • Old vine” Zinfandel vineyards of 50 to 100 years of age or older are special in many ways and can produce can elegant wines with a distinct sense of place of the vineyard.
  • Zinfandel tasted different depending on the region where it’s grown
  • National Zinfandel Day is the 3rd Wednesday in November (Yes, Zin pairs excellently with turkey!).
  • Zinfandel (aka Primitivo) is the fourth most planted wine grape in California (after Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir)

My Zinfandel Journey

I have a been a Zinfandel lover since I began my wine journey. In fact, a Zinfandel was my epiphany wine!

Sometime around the turn of the century, when I was working for a dot.com company, I ordered a glass of red wine while a bunch of us were out for lunch. Favoring cocktails at the time, I had very little interest in wine, but it seemed socially acceptable for lunch, so I order a glass.

That wine turned out to be a Lolonis Zinfandel from the Redwood Valley in Mendocino County. The wine was delicious, and it was the first glass of wine I really enjoyed.

The rest they say is history.

The first real wine club I joined was Rosenblum Cellars – most definitely a Zinfandel house (and one of a venerable triad known as the “Three Rs of Zinfandel” – Ravenswood, Ridge and Rosenblum).

As my palate evolved (and Rosenblum was sold to beverage giant Diageo), I left Rosenblum and have been a member of Ridge Vineyards, who specialize in single vineyard wines, for the last 15 years or so.

Oh, and did I mention, I now live in Lodi, the Zinfandel Capital of the World?

What do I love about Zinfandel?

2013 Under The Wire Zinfandel Sparkling Rosé Bedrock Vineyard

Under The Wire is a project that grew from a mutual friendship of Morgan Twain-Peterson and Chris Cottrell, and their love of sparkling wines.

“Our simple yet unique premise is to make California sparkling wines based on an individual vineyard in an individual year. Inspired in part by the grower Champagne movement, we aim to prove that California can produce unique, delicious and terroir-driven sparkling wine” explains their website.

Originally planted in 1854 byGenerals William “Tecumseh” Sherman and General “Fightin’ Joe” Hooker, Bedrock has grown grapes for over 150 years. In all likelihood, at some point in Bedrock’s long history, sparkling wine was made from the vineyard’s grapes. Out of the 24 old vine varieties grown at Bedrock Vineyard today we chose to use Zinfandel. It is a grape that is not only decidedly Californian but also surprisingly well built for sparkling wine. Bedrock Vineyard’s ancient Zinfandel tends towards both great flavor development at low sugars and strong natural acidity, both of which are fundamental to great sparkling wine. The vines are head trained, grown in rock studded red Tuscan loam soils, and farmed sustainably.”

The wine pours a pale salmon color with raspberry, red cherry, white peach, apricot, pastry dough and mandarin orange curd aromas. On the palate it’s very fresh with high acidity and a creamy mousse. It shows raspberry, cherry, strawberry, apricot, white peach and mandarin orange flavors accented with hints of lime and wet stone with a medium-long finish. 12.5% abv|SRP – $45

I paired the wine with Roasted Salmon Glazed With Brown Sugar and Mustard, and Sautéed Chantrelle Mushrooms.

It was a very good pairing. The wines combination of moderate alcohol and high acidity beautifully offset the fatty and slightly salty character of the salmon. It also paired well with the Chantrelle mushrooms which were sauteed in a fair amount of vegan butter.

Here’s what my fellow Wine Pairing Weekend bloggers are sharing:

If you’re a fellow Zinfandel lover, National #ZinfandelDay is November 16th. Be sure to share some Zinfandel love.

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8 Comments

  1. We recently received the first Under The Wire we’ve ordered. I opted for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, so I’m happy to read your tasting notes on Zinfandel here. Sounds delish!

    1. Martin D. Redmond says:

      Thanks Nancy. I think you’ll enjoy the UTW wines. I know I do!

  2. Wendy Klik says:

    I very much enjoyed learning some Zin history with this article and I’m excited to try this pairing out over the holidays. We seem to eat a lot of heavy foods during the season and this dish and pairing will be perfect for a lighter, healthier dinner party.

    1. Martin D. Redmond says:

      Thanks Wendy. I thought it was a very good pairing. It’s hard to go wrong with bubbles(Especially during holiday season)! They pair well with virtually everything.

      If you decide to make it the mixture of Dijon and Brown Sugar is to taste. If you prefer the marinade a bit sweeter, I’d consider Prosecco.

  3. Thanks for reminding me about this wine. It’s been a while since I had it, but remember liking it very much. It sounds like a delicious pairing as well!

    1. Martin D. Redmond says:

      Thanks Nicole. I really enjoy these wines!

  4. advinetures says:

    We share your reasons for loving Zinfandel and add to that it’s often more approachable early, it can be a great choice in restaurants when there aren’t many options with age (or affordable)!

    1. Martin D. Redmond says:

      You’re right about Zin being more approachable early. I don’t see it on restaurant lists here nearly enough in California.

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