The Wine Leading the Blind: Californ-I-A
Well, well, well. It seems my palate has not permanently moved over to the Old World after all, and I have, in fact, become just a pretentious wine snob. The past year has pretty much been about all things France but a recent trip to a wine store (searching for wines to have with dinner at a BYOB restaurant) yielded some pretty solid Cali classics.
I thought I’d “evolved” to French wines because I grew tired of the over-the-top-ness of most things California and I sought more subtlety and elegance. Yet the two wines I’ve selected—a Pinot Gris and a Zinfandel — were both a jolt to my CA wine-loving memory, and as I tried both, I kept thinking, “Ahhhh … that’s why I liked this stuff.”
Keep in mind that these wines should be paired with foods that can hold up to them. I wouldn’t recommend pairing the Zin with, say, a Caprese salad. That would be like wearing a ballroom gown to a baseball game.
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By Lauren McNally
Lauren B. McNally is a New York City-based writer who spends her days on Madison Avenue and her evenings in Spain, France, Italy, South America, and beyond. She originally hails from Maine and graduated from Bowdoin College, spending time abroad at the University of Cambridge in the UK. Lauren passed The Court of Master Sommeliers’ Level I exam in August and will sit for her Certified Sommelier Exam in early 2010.
About The Humble Gourmand
The Humble Gourmand is published the first Friday of each month, edited by Alison L. McConnell, a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and writer. It is designed to offer straightforward lessons and advice to aspiring cooks, oenophiles, and all other eaters and drinkers.
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