Wine Weekly

Quivira Zinfandel · Wine Creek Ranch, Dry Creek Valley · California 2007

Since Thanksgiving is a holiday borne from the beginnings of the New World, it’s appropriate to have a grape indigenous to the US on the table next to the turkey. That said, Zinfandel fits the description — though its development may or may not have emanated from Italy’s Primitivo, most experts agree that Zinfandel is very much an “American” grape.

However, Zinfandel has many faces — it can be huge and bold, soft and approachable, sweet and sassy (i.e., “white Zin”), and anything in between. So it’s difficult to generalize and decide that “Zinfandel is a good wine for Thanksgiving”. The truth is, some Zins are perfect for the bird, while others completely miss the mark.

In the case of Quivira, we have a Zinfandel that fits very nicely on the Thanksgiving table. It has rich, ripe red berry flavors that meld well with both the dark and white meat, and a spicy note that compliments most stuffings, gravy, and other items on the table. The thing that makes it a slam-dunk is the finish, which is stunningly similar to cranberry sauce — which of course is already on the table for obvious reasons (it tastes great with turkey!).

Though, don’t make the mistake of trying to drink this Zin — or ANY dry wine — after filling your mouth with cranberry sauce; your palate will be disrupted by a jarring metallic flavor when the two elements combine.

At somewhere around $20-30 depending on the store, Quivira Dry Creek Zinfandel costs enough to be a worthy holiday wine to bring with you as a guest to someone else’s home, but not so much that it kills your wallet in these difficult times.

Following are my full tasting notes.

Tasting Notes: Quivira Zinfandel 2007

Big, ripe, beautiful nose of raspberry, black cherry, vanilla, and plum. It has good weight in the mouth, offering a nice whip of rich, ripe raspberry, vanilla Coke, and mild hints of chocolate. Mild acidity, soft yet ripe tannins. Finishes with pleasing flavors of black cherry and cranberry. No heat on the finish, which is surprisingly nice for a wine with this kind of ripeness and a listed alcohol level of 15.1%. At first I thought this would be too big, but it turned out to be a wonderful companion to the turkey (both white and dark meat), with and without the gravy. It also paired well with simple Stove Top stuffing, roasted carrots, and creamed onions. Recommended.

Where to buy Quivira Zinfandel

Find this wine at a retailer near you using Wine-Searcher, Vinquire, or WineZap

More information can be found at the Quivira Vineyards and Winery website