Gnarly Head - Old Vine Zin (2014)

Gnarly Head's Old Vine Zin is the wine that got me into my current wine adventure.  Mainly because it was on sale for $8 and looked cool, but also because it tastes really good.

The description of this old vine zin is actually very accurate.  I do not understand how people can make up things like tasting vanilla in wine, but that aside...

Mostly dry, but with a hint of sweetness.  I usually find old vine zins to have this profile.

This wine tastes like dark fruit, exactly as you would expect from this varietal.  There's many hints of spice and wood flavor which add a lot of really enjoyable complexity to the flavor profile.  The complexity of this wine is top notch even though it's an affordable brand, though it's not completely perfect.

The only downside of this wine is moderately strong tannins.  Not the strongest I've experienced, but to make them manageable, be sure to properly warm and aerate the wine before serving.  Best starting from somewhere between cellar and room temp, all the way to room temp.

I did enjoy this wine with some of my beef stew which I just posted a recipe on.  Though, being wine, you can enjoy it with about any meal that doesn't taste like fruit. (why do these wine labels always make such a big deal out of food pairing?  pairing beer with food is way harder...)

Overall this is a very flavorful wine.  Tannins are only a bit on the strong side, and the price is affordable.  Excellent bang for the buck.

4/4