A Bad Day Made Better by Biale
The day was bad for too many reasons to list, and I was feeling lazy and ready to drink.
The wine of choice was the 2003 Biale Zappa, a blend of 65% Zin, 18% Petite Sirah and 17% Syrah. Reasoning included: A) the need to go ahead and drink it before it passed its prime, B) hopes that those burly grapes would overpower my mood, and if not B, then C) the zappa is a tool used to remove weeds from around vines…essentially a hoe, and maybe I could clear out some of my own problems. While no Black Chicken, it still hit the spot. Pepper, blackberry, tiny bits of chocolate, cinnamon, and vanilla. Very smooth, and I hardly noticed the 15.7% alcohol. (It simply helped to numb the pain.)
The food (melodrama aside): a BBQ chicken pizza from Trader Joe’s. It was good, though the presence of cilantro, which I’ve only recently come to accept as adding more flavor than just soap, was fairly prominent. To make up for my laziness, I whipped up some caesar dressing for mixed greens and a bourbon BBQ sauce, courtest of Emeril. Despite our shared southern culture, I’ve never been his biggest fan. But this recipe was right-on (with minor changes to adjust to what I had on hand). The sweetness of the honey melded with the heat of cayenne pepper was a perfect match for the pepper and fruitiness of the wine.
BBQ sauce, Zinfandel food pairing, Biale Zappa
February 9th, 2007 at 10:26 am
Speaking of pizza, have you tried “Doug’s Pizza Wine” from Ventana? They sell it at the tasting room in Monterey. It’s a no-vintage red table wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache & Syrah. Six dollars. I’ve actually had it with pizza and it was good.
February 9th, 2007 at 11:39 am
Tonight will be better, Farley! Can’t wait to taste those six Argentine Malbecs.
February 9th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
Hey I had BBQ chicken pizza the other night. I love that stuff.
February 11th, 2007 at 8:55 am
Ahren, will have to try that one. maybe we should go tasting in your neck of the woods. Russ, plan to write a post about the great times with Malbec. Steve, which brand did you have or did you make it yourself? If you did, please give me the recipe.
February 12th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
I’m jealous once again. Reading your Biale posts is a double edged sword for me. On one side, I’m happy that you got to enjoy them. On the other, i’m green with envy. Good stuff though, keep them coming…