It’s a big wine for not so big occasions and we not only tried some, but wangled some for competition prizes too.
We’re in BBQ season for sure now and even sudden downpours can’t dampen our spirits. After all, that’s what the British summer is all about.
Last Sunday, to celebrate the visit of a long-lost New Zealander cousin, we got the Weber out and loaded up the fridge with choice meats.
Only to discover his wife had gone veggie.
No problem though as halloumi is always a winner and we had plenty of veg from our allotment and veg do love a bit of fire.Obviously we couldn’t serve NZ wine, that would be coals to Newcastle, so instead we brought out some bottles of Carnivor Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon.
It’s a Californian brand and yes, it is from E &J Gallo.
We started with the Carnivor Cabernet Sauvignon, (it also contains a blend of Petite Syrah and Merlot grapes). Most of the fruit for this comes from vineyards in Lodi, a Californian winegrowing region for over 150 years.
Here warm days and cool nights give a Mediterranean style climate and allow for really ripe grapes to be harvested. The wine is aged in American and French oak
Dark and lustrous with a grippy mouth feel and hints of dark chocolate, ripe raisins and blackberry jam. As with most red wines the tannins really helped deal with the fats. Really very good.
As we hit the big dishes, we hit the big wine, the Carnivor Zinfandel.
Holding the glass up to the light it was clear (sic) you could probably observe an eclipse of the sun through it and not risk your eyesight.
A swirl of the glass shows good’legs’ usually an indication of high alcohol, in this case 14.5%.A fair bit of coffee and tar on the nose, and on the palate, it was silky with strong coffee, road tar and a bit of clove. All good things in my book. The Kiwis liked it too.
Both these reds are big, powerful wines and perfect for big grilled meats and the Californian sun seems to be captured in them like light in a black hole ,making them rich and warming.
Carnivor Zinfandel is available for £10.00 from Tesco and Sainsbury’s
Carnivor Cabernet Sauvignon is available for £10.00 from Ocado and Asda.
Want to win a case of 6 x Carnivor Zinfandel, a serving slate, a branding iron and a steak rub, together worth roughly £100?