The Giants get Pummeled (16-4)

Rosenblum Vintners Cuvee XXVII Zinfandel
$7.98
2002 Robert Sinskey Carneros Pinot Noir
$22.99
2003 Yasa Garnacha, Calatayud
$7.99
Shane’s Notes

I’m an A’s fan and tailgating is common at A’s games – the A’s parking lot is always filled with barbecues, beer drinkers and people playing catch. So, when Jen obtained four free tickets to the Giants game from the law firm she no longer works for, I immediately made tailgating plans. For the four of us (she invited her brother and I invited my friend, Ron), we brought three bottles of wine and two pepperoni pizzas from Amici’s East Coast Pizzeria. We had a blast, but I didn’t see anyone else tailgating. Oh well, Giant’s “fans” are not interested in baseball, so why would they be interested in a baseball tradition like tailgating?

Unfortunately, Ron hit some Bay Bridge traffic, so he missed The Garnacha (100% Grenache) which was an interesting wine. It was simplistic but very fruity with nice tannins in the background. It was a bit too grapey for my taste but not a bad deal for the price. At least the vintner did not do anything to interfere with the taste of the varietal which is about all I ask from inexpensive wines. For wines costing under $10, Jen and I really like the South American wines.

I brought the Sinskey because Ron had recently seen “Sideways” and wondered what a good Pinot tasted like. So far, the Sinskey is my favorite Pinot in the under $30.00 range (See “A Lovely Pinot on the Embarcadero”). Ron enjoyed it, and it wasn’t long before we were on the third bottle.

The Rosenblum simply proved once again that it is nearly impossible to find a drinkable, American wine for under $10. Even after downing the other two bottles, we could barely drink it. The marketing department outdid themselves on this one by putting “Cuvee” and Roman numerals on the label (I initially thought that the XVII on the label stood for the 27 gigantic, oak chips they must have deposited in each barrel, but it simply means that this is the 27th vintage of this swill). Awful wines like this should simply have a generic label that reads “Over-Oaked Crap.”