Wine Reviews: Cardinal Zin

Last Christmas, my brother and his wife gave me several bottles of wine with interesting names or lables. I finally got around to opening one. And it was this:

This isn't quite the right label, but it's the best Google Images had. Mine says "3002 Yeastly Bold Wines." And yes, the year is 3002.

My impressions: Full bodied, unpretentious, slightly astringent, smells nice, tastes good. Hints of black pepper, wild cherry, blueberry. In other words, everything a good Zinfandel should be.

I suppose some people might be put off by the screw cap. But I'm not among them. As far as I'm concerned (and all right thinking people agree), the only advantage of a genuine cork its it's alleged "romantic" appeal. A screw cap, on the other hand, has the advantage that it can be removed without tools, it won't dry out and crumble, and it won't react with the wine in a nasty way.

I like it.