Great wine on a budget

[Sonya Kimberly Whiting]

Buying wine on a budget doesn't have to be intimidating. Lower cost wines are often ignored and placed on the bottom shelf. Wouldn't it be wonderful to find a lower cost wine on the top shelf next to a higher priced wine with a label stating 'Just as Great'? In today’s article we will explore one of those 'Just as Great' wines from Oak Ridge Winery in Lodi, California.

Many years ago in the ancient mountains before the grape vine was tamed, grape trees stood tall like patron saints to the heavens. Their gnarled trunks and branches grew thick and produced small, concentrated grapes, full of flavor and intensity. In those times, the people made the wine fresh and drank it fresh. They didn't keep things for the future and had no preservation process. Their belief was to eat and drink it as it comes, who knows what the future may bring. At the village festivals, the people got drunk on wine, men and women danced together, and kissed publicly, under the gnarled grape trees. There was no shame to the women and everyone shared the wine. In present days, the gnarled grape vine is a reminder of ancient times forgotten. The thick intertwining trunk is the man and woman as one, dancing in a circle. The twisting branches are their arms outstretched singing praises to the heavens. And the grapes are the fruit of their happiness.

Today, it is our pleasure to feature the Gnarled Vine 2005 Zinfandel, from Oak Ridge Winery, in Lodi, California. It earned an excellent score of 91.5. It’s price of approximately $7.99 at the time of tasting, made this wine a true leader of it’s kind. It can definitely stand up next to the higher priced wines and earns the label ‘Just as Great’.

Lodi is ideally situated between the Sierra Nevada foothills and the San Francisco Bay. Warm days and cool evening breezes (marine influences) create a uniquely Mediterranean climate perfectly suited to cultivating California's top varietals- Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel. While all these grapes thrive here, Zinfandel is a singular phenomenon. Old vines, some over 120 years old, gnarled and sculpted by time, yield small amounts of fruit to create a wine that is the ultimate expression of the terroir.