Wine & Chocolate-A Winning Combination

I received an email from Cost Plus World Market about some chocolate that was created to accompany wine. It's called Brix Chocolate for Wine Lovers. There are two different types, one for white wine and one for red wine. Personally, I've found dark chocolate and Zinfandel or Port go well together. The thought of white wine and chocolate is a stretch. It will be interesting to try this product with my favorite red wine after dinner some night. The cost is $7.99.

Bodega Norton Malbec 2005

This is another Malbec from Argentina, but at a higher quality with a higher price tag. I found this wine at Costco in Palm Desert as a special promotion. It was $12.99, and well worth the price. What drew me to it was the Wine Spectator rating of 91 for the 2004 vintage. It's not often we can sample a wine that's rated 91 for under $20.


I found the Norton website, and it had good information on the this bottling. It comes from a vineyard that is 80 years old. It was aged 12 months in oak, then an additional 10 months of bottle age. There was a slight amount of sediment in the neck of the bottle confirming the bottle aging.

The wine is a deep red color with touches of purple. Considering the oak aging, there's very little oak in the nose or finish. It has ripe berry, violets, and a slight tobacco flavors. A very clean finish, especially with the alcohol level at 14%. It's one of the best examples of Argentina's Malbec, and you can't beat the price.

Rancho Zabaco Lodi Zinfandel

The latest zinfandel I've tried is from Rancho Zabaco. This label is part of the vast E. & J. Gallo wine empire. Gallo does a good job at making multiple brands of quality wines. This label was created to be a zinfandel centric brand, using the bull fighter motif.

Originally it included a Dancing Bull Zinfandel. But Gallo has decided to make Dancing Bull a separate brand and expand the line to include other varietals.

The Lodi AVA labeled version was a really nice example of a light Zinfandel. It's ready to drink, with great cherry and berry layers of flavor. So many of the Zinfandel's on the market today have a higher alcohol content which leaves a mouth burning feel. This one has a softer mouth feel with a clean finish. At about $10 its a good value. This wine pairs well with lighter meats, including chicken, turkey, and pork. It also goes well with light sauced pastas.

Holiday Sparkler-Prosecco

With the holidays here and many opportunities to share the season's joys with our friends, choosing what wine to serve can be intimating. The perfect, simple solution is sparkling wine. It turns any gathering into a festive event.

An interesting, different choice of sparkling wine is Prosecco. It's an Italian sparkling wine that is different than the spumates that most of us know. First, it's a dry sparkler, not sweet like spumate. That means it pairs well with a variety of foods, from appetizers to main courses to desserts. It has a slight fruitiness, which makes it different from french Champagne, and a delicate bouquet.

It might be a little difficult to find Prosecco. Most major chains carry at least one in their sparkling wine sections. The prices range from $10 to $20. If you have a Trader Joe's near you, they are featuring Zonin Prosecco at $5.99. Give it a try and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.