Organic wine & food matching: Paul Dolan Zinfandel & Memphis dry rub barbecued pork

The first two things I need to tell you about the 2006 Paul Dolan Zinfandel (about $19) is that it’s produced by the former CEO/Winemaker of Fetzer Vineyards – one of California’s pioneers of organic grape growing – named, of course, Paul Dolan, and that it is indeed vinified 100% from CCOF certified organic grapes.

The second thing I need to tell you about the Paul Dolan Zinfandel is that it is not to be taken seriously. Which is not to say it isn’t a fine wine, because it is very fine indeed. But it is also a smooth, easy, fruit driven red wine – redolent of peppery spiced, sweet raspberry-veering-towards-blueberry aromas, and soft, ripe and piquant on the palate – guaranteed to lift the spirit and satisfy the soul if (and only if) enjoyed with a sense of levity rather than gravity.

In fact, to put you in the mood, even before you go out and purchase said Zinfandel, I want to assign you this homework – a clip by one of Hawai`i’s comedic legends, Rap Reiplinger, portraying a cooking show host named Auntie Marialani, teaching us exactly how to inspect our red wine (“not too sweet, not too rancid, but ju-u-ust right”) before cooking with it:



Auntie Marialani, as you should have seen, doesn’t quite connect the dots between her wine and dish, but that’s okay. Zesty, buoyantly balanced Zinfandels like Paul Dolan’s do not require a lot of thought: it will match lasagna or spaghetti and meatballs with as much aplomb as it would teriyaki beef and rice, sticky smoked barbecued ribs, fenneled or chili spiced sausages, well aged goudas and cheddars, and even arugula or mesclun salads dolled up with beets or chèvre, shaved parmigiano or crispy cornbread croutons, or just plain blackpepper, olive oil and dabs of balsamic vinegar.

But if I had to choose one match, I would prescribe two bottles of Paul Dolan Zinfandel (one for you, one for me) with a classic style of American dry rubbed pork ribs (my favorite: re this recipe for Memphis style dry rub). Ju-u-st right!
Email Post

Comments

Post a Comment

Last year

Back burners

My photo
Randy Caparoso:
"I fought against the bottle," as Leonard Cohen wrote, "but I had to do it drunk." Randy Caparoso is a full-time wine journalist/photographer living in Lodi, California, and the author of "Lodi! The Definitive Guide and History of America's Largest Winegrowing Region" (2021). In another life, he was a multi-award winning restaurateur, starting as a sommelier in Honolulu (1978 through 1988), and then as Founding Partner/VP/Corporate Wine Director of the James Beard Award winning Roy’s family of restaurants (1988-2001), opening 28 locations from Hawaii to New York. Accolades include Santé’s first Wine & Spirits Professional of the Year (1998) and Restaurant Wine’s Wine Marketer of the Year (1992 and 1998). Between 2001 and 2006, he operated the Caparoso Wines label as a wine producer. For over 20 years, he also bylined a biweekly wine column for The Honolulu Advertiser (1981-2002). He currently puts bread (and wine) on the table as Editor-at-Large and the Bottom Line columnist for The SOMM Journal, and spend most of his time as freelance blogger and social media director for Lodi Winegrape Commission (lodiwine.com).