Quick Sip: Terra d’Oro Zinfandel Port
Hello Friends,
The 2011 holiday season is upon us – a festive time of year to gather with family and friends and enjoy delicious foods, decadent desserts, fireside chats, and of course, wine. Wines synonymous with the holidays are port and fortified wines in the style of port. During the cooler fall and winter months, a deliciously good, lip-smacking port or port-style wine will warm your soul and satisfy your taste buds. These wines are best enjoyed as after-dinner sippers in place of dessert. They also pair well with chocolate-based desserts. And as a reminder, holiday calories don’t count, so indulge! Today’s “Quick Sip,” the Terra d’Oro Zinfandel Port, is a fortified port-style [dessert] wine from Amador County, California. We call this a Port-style wine because true Port wine comes only from the Douro Valley in Portugal. Additionally, true port wine can only be made from certain grapes varieties (e.g. Touriga Nacional, Tinta Cão, Tinta Roriz aka Tempranillo, etc.) – Zinfandel is not one of them. That being said, fortified wines in the style of port produced outside of Portugal can be equally as enjoyable and delicious. Let’s uncork this wine, pour a glass, and give her a swirl, sniff, and sip.
NV Terra d’Oro Zinfandel Port
The Terra d’Oro Zinfandel Port [non-vintage], ruby-garnet in color, offers warm and inviting dark berry fruit and currant scents with soft hints of raisin, butterscotch, and shy cocoa notes. The palate is smooth and semi-rich with a luscious viscosity and a nice medium length finish. This wine is semi-sweet, not cloyingly sweet, and supports the 19% ABV well. A half bottle (375ml) of the Terra d’Oro Zinfandel Port sells for the pocket-pleasing price of $12 and a standard bottle cost $24.
Yummy!
Besides being a good option for your Thanksgiving Day table, the half-bottle in particular, makes for a nice stocking stuffer (hint-hint). Pairing suggestions for this sweet liquid treat includes chocolate covered figs, pecan pie (yummy), chocolate walnut fudge, sticky toffee pudding, and Bûche de Noël (Yule log). Another good pairing option for this dessert wine is a toasty fireplace, a comfortable chair, and your favorite book. If you can’t find this palate-pleasing and wallet-friendly wine at your local wine shop, visit the Terra d’Oro website below. Cheers!
Click here to visit the Terra d’Oro website.
The wine featured was a media sample for tasting purposes from [PR agency] Balzac Communications. Have a question about this post, friends? Feel free to leave a comment or send me an e-mail at myvinespot@yahoo.com, and as always, Happy Sipping! Stay tuned ...more to come.
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