Find this wine, heed this mead

by Darryl Beeson

Dry Creek, Gulp from this Gulch- "I pictured old Texas- unshaven men, scrappy-looking coyotes," recounts nonpareil wine-writer Karen MacNeil (author of the best selling "The Wine Bible," Workman Publishing Company). "If there was wine, it was probably dusty smelling and leather-tasting, like something that had been splashed around inside a cowboy boot." There you have a first-impression image of Dry Creek. Cross this gulch, gully or is it a gorge? The wines reward with gluttony.

Positioned within California's Sonoma region, Dry Creek has slowly garnered a reputation for big red wines. Lambert Bridge knows how to cross the gap. They produce some of the finest Zinfandels in this, a torrid terrain. Aromas of brier, blackberry and cinnamon spice, then flavors of concentrated black fruit, cola and more spice are all within the glass. There is bigness with velvety approachability.

The winery suggests pairing the wine's "ripe berry fruit with rich, jamy overtones, hints of vanilla and French roast coffee from the oak to foods such as Liberty Duck carnitas, homemade macaroni and cheese, or a burger from the grill. This wine exhibits concentration of fruit and supple, rounded tannins that will allow the wine to age gracefully over the next several years."

The blend allows for the complexity of some supporting grapes- 86% Zinfandel, 5% Syrah, 5% Carignane, 4% Petite Sirah. The mix sings of complexity and courage. The 2001 Zinfandel is the first vintage to include grapes from their Winery Ranch Vineyard which is planted with a Dry Creek Valley heritage clone. Powerful satisfaction from this big red sets one back a mere $24. FYI: www.lambertbridge.com 

Fulfilling you inner meads- Mead is the oldest alcoholic beverage in known history, with religious and recreational roots. The term "honeymoon" is said to come from the tradition of newlyweds drinking mead for one lunar cycle, which was thought to ensure a fruitful union and a quick birth of a male heir.

Mead requires a mediator, as it comes in a myriad of colors and flavors. It can be sparkling or still, sweet or dry, flavored with fruit or spices, and influenced by a multitude of other ingredients. David Myers started Redstone Meadery in Boulder, with his sparkling black raspberry nectar. Demand grew quickly and he now produces a variety of seasonal flavors of mountain honey wine and two flavors of nectar. Made primarily with orange blossom honey, the meads are medium in sweetness and have a balancing crispness. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.

"All we're really doing is bringing an old thing back," explains Myers, a former English major who first fell for mead through classic literature. "Honey wine was offered to Zeus and other mythological gods. The Vikings drank mead before setting off into the cold seas. Beowulf sat in mead halls. You also find it in Renaissance and Shakespearean literature. Falstaff would sit and have a cauldron of mead.? fyi: www.redstonemeadery.com 

Darryl Beeson teaches professional certification for www.internationalsommelier.com.  Says writer Roy Blount, Jr., "Wine is tough, but I know Darryl can do it."