Don’t Call it RED Zinfandel

It’s Zinfandel . Just Zinfandel. It is not “Red” Zinfandel.

Why does this bother me? Because I have a love/hate relationship with White Zinfandel , and the confusion that has arisen since its creation. Let me explain.

Zinfandel was on the ropes. In the 70s, winemakers were considering ripping out the unprofitable Zinfandel vines and replacing them with something that had a better monetary return. Like Cabernet, for instance. A winemaker’s attempt to make a Rosé resulted in a “stuck fermentation ,” a fermentation in which the yeast dies off earlier than it should. He tasted the wine two weeks after this problem occurred and decided that this pink sweet stuff should be sold.

It was an instant hit. The Great Unwashed loved it immediately (and yes, I was a card-carrying, chest-thumping member of the Great Unwashed at one time) and White Zinfandel became a household word as well as accounting for more sales of a single varietal than any other. The Great Unwashed has no taste.

So what does this have to do with anything?

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New Wineaux Feature - Peeves

As you long-term readers may know, I’m prone to occasional ranting. There are some things out there that just tick me off, and I like to vent every now and then.

Just like anyone else, the older you get, the more things out there just bunch your knickers. So the new Vegas Wineaux feature is called "Peeves ."

What is Peeves? Peeves is the area where I allow myself (and others) to rant about stuff in the wine world that is truly annoying. Maybe it’s not even stuff in the wine world - it could just as well be those perceptions about wine that the non-wine folks have that tick me off. In fact, there are quite a few things in the wine world that irritate me to no end, and I felt that a place where I could rant about *just* those things would be just the ticket. So Peeves was born. I’m sure that this will help keep my blood pressure normal. Theoretically.

This is not a regular feature; it will be a series of occasional postings based on my experiences, things overheard, my mood, the alignment of the planets…you get the drift. I will happily post Peeves from the readership - particularly if I agree with them! If I don’t agree or don’t understand, then we can negotiate. But hey! I’m open to all kinds of rants, raves, peeves, irritations, annoyances, WTFs (contact me if you don’t know what that means), I-can’t-believe-its, etc., etc., blah blah blah. I know there’s stuff that bothers me that you may not have thought of, and there’s stuff that bothers you about which I’m blissfully unaware. So let’s swap stories!

So stay tuned for Peeves. And don’t hesitate to contribute the things that "Peeve" you off. Don’t be shy!

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