Ridge Zinfandel – California

Ridge is one of the oldest and most well-respected Zinfandel producers in the world. They focus on a philosophy of making smaller-production bottlings from individual vineyards, and, as often as possible, using old-vine Zinfandel grapes. Some of the vines are more than 100 years old. We’ve loved Ridge wines for years, and they are our go-to wines for special meals. They’re also the wines we turn to when we want consistently great reds, no matter the occasion. Many of Ridge’s Zins are actually “Bordeaux-style” blends – but the main grape is Zinfandel rather than Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. To paraphrase something we read in a wine magazine several years ago: “Your $100-a-bottle cult Cabernet wine snob friends won’t believe that they’re drinking a $30 bottle of Zinfandel.” Most Ridge wines are in the $25-35 range. Several of their bottlings can be found at retail, but others are only available through the winery’s mailing list.