Here is a fine Napa blend of 46% Zinfandel, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Syrah, 10% Petite Sirah, 2% Charbono, and 1% Grenache. Deep violet colors in the glass, spreading to a garnet outer ring, with aromas of red berry and ripe black cherry and wafts of smoke. Robert Parker: 90 pts Wine Spectator: 92 pts Retails: $35 MORE >>

The winery is Cline Cellars. One of the first wineries on the road to wine country, Cline Cellars is located 45 minutes north of San Francisco in Sonoma-Carneros. The tasting room is located in an 1850s farmhouse and the wine is the Cline Cellars Cashmere 2008. This disease is not reserved for just women. Here's what I learned. MORE >>

All too often, Zinfandel is a highway to a quick, cheap buzz. had a chance to visit the property and talk with the cellar masters this past spring. Ridge Vineyards, started 50 years ago in the Santa Cruz Mountains, has made Zinfandel wines since the early days. The lay of the land. David Gates, head of Vineyard Operations. MORE >>

His columns were compiled in two books, Bacchus & Me ( amazon , aff) and The Hedonist in the Cellar ( amazon , aff). Their popular column had a populist slant, periodically reviewing white zinfandel, wine on cruise ships, at Disney World and their annual, participatory “open that bottle night.&# MORE >>

He's also a wine lover, but his cellar is full of current California Cabernet and modern day wine from Bordeaux. He arrived at my house carrying a 375 ml bottle of 2001 Turley Paso Robles Zinfandel Delinquent. The other night a good friend of mine came over for dinner. Trust me though, he is a truly lovely guy. California Turley MORE >>