Toronto is bracing for Saturday’s Nuit Blanche, the sundown to sunup art festival that takes over the downtown core for one night every year. If you don’t feel like joining the crowds, or if your bedtime is on the early side, there are other ways to enjoy art this weekend. You could head to a gallery, view your personal collection (maybe you have a young artist decorating the fridge door), or enjoy some liquid art. Pouring and enjoying a glass of this week’s wine, the Wente Beyer Ranch Zinfandel, may just become your favourite way to enjoy art.
Tasting Notes: Wente’s Beyer Ranch Zinfandel is a blend of Zin(fandel) and a small amount of Petite Sirah which adds structure and bold fruit to the juicy, soft berry notes of the Zin. With very well-balanced oak use adding vanilla spice notes, this wine highlights the skill and experience of its maker.
Enjoy With: Grilled beef or pork as well as braised or oven roasted red meats. Add a sauce with a touch of sticky-sweet spices to match the wine’s depth of flavour.
Style: A dry, full-bodied and silky-smooth red wine.
Terroir/Region: With Napa Valley drawing the spotlight further north, the Livermore Valley has quietly been producing world class wines, however, like the neighbouring Santa Ynez Valley, it has felt the strain of expanding towns and suburbs of the San Francisco Bay area. A land trust was established to maintain the balance between vineyard and town in 1994 which has now expanded and become the role model for many other regions in the USA, a victory for wines and vines everywhere!
Producer: The Wente Family helped pioneer winemaking in the Livermore Valley 135 years ago and is now helping lead the charge for sustainability in the region. The winery was awarded one of the first Certified California Sustainable Vineyard and Winery designations for its water conservation, biodiversity and composting programs. It also keeps 1600 acres of sustainable open-range land where a herd of 100 cattle is in charge of “grass management and soil fertilization”.
Availability: Wente Beyer Ranch Zinfandel 2014 will be available in the Vintages section of your local LCBO and for online ordering this weekend, but a few stores may already have it on the shelf. Pick up a few bottles to start your liquid art collection!
