Tasting 2007 The Zin

I think zinfandel's are a great every day wine. They are often affordable and if we're lucky can be quite luscious. The other day I tasted a 2007 vintage from Consentino Winery they label as "The Zin". Personally, I'm not to fond of clever or cute names, but this wine is exactly what you expect: a strong, traditional zin.

The wine presents a dusky, cherry body and the taste is all zinfandel. Strong, earthy flavors of tobacco, chocolate, blackberry with a trace of black pepper. I found the wine benefited from decanting, or at least let the wine open up for a while in your glass. I found it extremely tight otherwise. The wine has a short finish. You could drink this now but I think this will be much better in 2012.

The Zin is a modest and affordable ($15-$20) offering for casual wine drinking. Pick up a few bottles for next summer and enjoyed with your favorite grilled meat.

Tasting: Beak & Skiff Apple Vodka

I have to confess that I love a good vodka and I've come to appreciate high quality products. I'm always looking to try something new. Fortunately, like Dorothy Gale, I didn't have to look any further than my own back yard. Central NY is known for apples and Beak & Skiff is one of the region's oldest and largest orchard. Recently they have branched out and opened their very own distillery. Their first offering is an apple vodka.

The first thing you have to understand is that this is not an apple-flavored vodka, but rather a vodka distilled from apples. While I generally prefer traditional potato or grain based vodkas, I enjoyed Beak & Skiff's vodka.  It is crystal clear with a very clean nose, but not antiseptic. The first taste introduces a very subtle apple overtone, but it is brief and in no way interferes with the drink. I found it exceptionally smooth with gentle finish, that again offers a whiff of apple. I enjoyed sipping it neat but I imagine it would be quite bracing chilled. When used in a cocktail, the apple tones fade away as you might hope and expect. Again, this isn't a flavored vodka.

If you appreciate fine vodka and get you hands on a bottle, I think you'll enjoy this. You can purchase Beak & Skiff's apple vodka at their distillery (which has a tasting bar) or in a few select stores in Central NY. I recommend checking the  Beak & Skiff web site for the latestinformation.