I had been hesitant to try a red zinfandel based on the name association with white zinfandel, a wine I have a long distaste for (nothing personal, just not something I can get into). While shopping at my local market, a table had been set up for tasting some wines, and the Ravenswood Zinfandel was among them. Never one to turn down free samples, I tasted the wine. To say I was surprised would be an understatement.
The pepper at the finish was what caught me off guard the most, but in a good way. Finishing my far too tiny sample, I enjoyed the smoothness of the front end of the wine, but looked forward to the pepper at the end. Buying a bottle, I took this wine home and eventually enjoyed it with a meal of homemade jambalaya that had been made with shrimp and andouille sausage that possessed a smokey flavor that went very well with the pepper of the Ravenswood.
I cannot recommend this wine enough, and with a price range of $9 to $11, you really aren’t going to find a better deal on a very high quality zinfandel. This is a must buy and I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars. Go try this one today.
