Food and Zin at Its Finest

The cavernous Fort Mason Center stretched before the Chef and I as we entered last night. Rows of tables full of tempting food and luscious Zinfandel invited with the warning that without caution we could find ourselves prematurely full and drunk before we were able to experience the best the evening had to offer. Right off the bat Knickerbocker Catering's Wild Boar Sliders delighted with a sensuous robust sweetness that set the evening into motion. The first Zin that I fell for was Acorn's 2006 Heritage Vines Zinfandel. With an irresistible blend of 78% Zinfandel, 10% Alcante Bouschet, 10% Petit Sirah and 2% Field Blend I was drawn in. A rich bouquet of ripe berries and fresh ground pepper with toasty vanilla notes was delightful, the depth of flavor took me off guard with deep blackberry intertwining with cocoa, coffee and spicy black pepper. Betsy and Bill Nachbaur were sweet and inviting and responsible business owners with their estate grown, sustainably-farmed wines. Moving on I came across Klinker Brick Winery. Right away there was something interesting about the labeling of their Old Ghost wine, so like a good reporter I decided to investigate! Their 2007 Old Ghost is available for sale, but they had brought some bigger guns out of the arsenal venturing into their thrilling library to delight me with their 2005 and 2006 Old Ghost which are not available for purchase. Each vintage of this old vine zin was unique in its own right. The 2005 had a surprisingly dry finish which I found to be refreshing with all of the overly powerful and jammy zins that I was faced with throughout the evening. The 2006 was by far my favorite vintage which I found to be true for many different wine brands. The Old Ghost 2006 was a little bit lighter on the palate with a breathtaking medley of brambleberries, spiced cherries, mint and even notes of effervescent eucalyptus and licorice on the end. Mustards was there with a lovely Pork Tostada with Spicy Salsa. This was absolutely succulent and paired with the deep red fruits of Outpost Estate Wines was a knockout! Thursday night was packed with impressive food and wine, it is an event that I will look forward to next year.