Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel is a Great Zinfandel Under $10

I went to college at Sonoma State University, which is smack in the middle of California's Napa and Sonoma wine regions. In addition to being geographically situated in an ideal location for wine sampling, I have a number of friends who are wine connoisseurs who introduced me to fine wines. On my first wine tasting trip through Napa and Sonoma, one of the essential stops that I was shown was Ravenswood Winery, whose specialty is the Zinfandel varietal wine. For those who are unfamiliar with Zinfandel wine, Zinfandel is a robust peppery wine that is not as heavy as a Cabernet. It has become my favorite varietal wine, largely due to the influence of Ravenswood wines on my wine palate.

Ravvenswood Winery offers a large number of distinct Zinfandel wines that are produced from Zinfanel grapes grown in different regions such as Napa, Sonoma, Lodi, Mendocino, etc. In addition to the standard variety of Zinfandels, Ravenswood offers a number of select Zinfandels that are produced from grapes from smaller and more specific old-growth vines. With so many varieties of Zinfandels, one could do an entire wine tasting session just on the various Zinfandels offered by Ravenswood alone.

While I often enjoy the Lodi Zinfandel or the Sonoma Zinfandel, Ravenswood also offers what they refer to as a "Vintners Blend" Zinfandel. The Vintners Blend Zinfandel is a wine produced from a blending of the Zinfandel Wines from more specific wine regions. While the Vintners Blend Zinfandel by Ravenswood lacks the subtlety of flavor of the region-specific Zinfandels, an advantage to the Ravenswood Vinters Blend Zinfandel is its markedly cheaper price than the regional Zinfandels. It is not uncommon to find a bottle of Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel on sale at a major supermarket chain for six to seven dollars apiece.