If It's a Spicy Smell, It's a Zinfindel

      Before this wine, which  I am about to describe below, my taste buds felt drab, stale, and clearly hungering for more. After this wine, my taste buds felt jolted, awakened, and alive. Yes, this wine sent a rush through my spine of a spicy, earthy, all together magnificent flavor. Definitely a wine I recommend and wish that everyone could try. The good news? I have been given a taste of truly excellent red wine. The bad news? This wine cannot be purchased in stores.

      In the midst of graduation excitement, I have found my way back to my home state of Ohio to visit with family and friends before I head on to my next collegiate experience. Along with fishing and reminiscing with family, I received an unexpected, yet very appreciated, gift for graduation. My brother's girlfriend, named Katie, brought me a bottle of homemade wine. I was ecstatic. Not only do I love a good wine, I love organic products. And not only was this wine special because it came from a family recipe, but the fact that it was from Katie's family and  father, Bill Gratzianna, who stars in his own television show on the Speed Channel, called Wrecked. I have always considered wine a special product, but coming from a homemade batch from a fun-filled family in Chicago was truly a treat. Several things about the wine sparked my attention and here's why:

     1. There are several instant predictors of good wine, in my opinion, and this wine had them all. As soon as I poured the wine, I could immediately tell it was a well-aged wine. How you might ask? An easy way to tell the age of wine just from looking at it is its tint. For example, bright purple wine is typically a young wine- maybe aged a year or two. This wine, which I will call the Gratzianna Zin, had a brown tint. Brown tints show an aged wine, and I guessed immediately that this wine was at least 5 or 6 years old. The verdict is still out- we are waiting on Mr. Gratzianna for a final answer. Moral of this statement: brown wine can be a good sign, as it shows good aging. Tilting a glass over a light-colored surface can show the brown tint of an aged wine.

     2. The Gratzianna Zin had good "legs". As I have mentioned before, good legs on a wine means high alcohol concentration. Katie confirmed that it was very alcoholic; however, the wine did not show an alcoholic flavor, making it even easier to drink. Remember: swirling wine and watching the velocity and separation of the "legs" can show sugar content and alcohol content. 

     3. The wine had a crisp, intense, spicy smell. As a little game, I asked Katie to let me try and guess the red grape used to make the wine. Immediately upon smelling it I was hit with a nose full of spicy, tobacco-like aromas, which is a good sign of a strong, bold Zin. I did not detect many fruity smells- just spice. I guessed a Zinfindel and I was correct.

     4. The wine had a very bold body and very smooth finish. As I have been transitioning into reds recently, hard finishing red wines have been setting me back in my journey to primarily drink reds. I enjoy crisp, fruity, easy-finishing wines; obviously something hard to find in a red wine that is within my price range. This wine, although not fruity, had an amazing finish. I was impressed.

     If you ever have an opportunity to drink (or make) your own wine, I suggest you do. Balancing a wine- making alter ego with a PhD program might be a bit more than I can handle for now, but in the future I plan on making my own wine. For now, I might have to ask the Gratzianna's for another bottle, as this wine will be hard to transition from.

     There is a true beauty in the difference between a good wine and a cheap, mass produced wine. As I continue to mature as a wine drinker, I tend to stay away from the mass produced wines and indulge in more prestigious and respected brands. After this Zin, I think the Gratzianna family should look into producing and selling their wine, as it hit my taste buds unlike anything I have tasted.

     Pairing this wonderful wine with a song has been tricky; below is its pairing:


Hue: Brownish Red
-Homemade from the Gratzianna family
-Price: ? (If I had to guess based on the taste, age, and process, I would say at least $150).
-Sorry everyone, this one cannot be found in stores

____________________________________________________

Tune: Breaking it Up
-Lykke Li (because we all love her unique, raspy voice paired with a melody of good beats).
-The beats of the song resembles the spicy hops of the wine.