Check Out Biale…

Zin! Zin! Zin! When I first started getting into wine tastings and events, I loved those big, bold, high alcohol, tannic wines (still do). So when I was at my first San Diego Wine Festival (many moons ago, don’t remind me, ha ha) was there like a shot when there was a Zinfandel tasting event. Fully expecting to have my palette pounded, was a bit taken aback and then fully embraced that not all Zins are fruit and alcohol bombs and could offer some very nice, complex wines without pounding your palette with alcohol, fruit and tannins.

So where am I going with all this? Well, when recently waiting for Mustard’s Grill to open, had the pleasure of meeting a nice couple from Vail, CO who said they had a ball tasting at one of Napa’s oldest wineries: the Robert Biale Vineyards. Pulling the winery up on Google, saw that the winery specialized in Zinfandel so I made an appointment for the next day to do a tasting.

And that couple didn’t steer me wrong, had a great time doing the tour of the winery estate and its facilities and having a bunch of laughs and wine discussion with Andrew Lincoln, one of Robert Biale Vineyards’ Wine Education and Sales reps. Got Andrew to do the NSI quiz at the end of our tour on Robert Biale Vineyards’ scenic patio. Cheers and enjoy…

What was last night’s dinner? Roasted carrots with humas and tahini sauce. (Judging by his answer we had a laugh when I presumed he was a vegetarian and I didn’t hold it against him.)

What’s your favorite music? I like all those British bands… the Beatles, Oasis, Johnny Marr…

What’s your favorite drink? I’m not being trite, but I really do love drinking our Zin wines. I mean I’ll drink anything good, but I love how our wines pair with food and a good time.

What makes a great wine tasting? A kindred spirit, finding out what the taster likes and matching the wines accordingly.

What’s your favorite Napa restaurant? Oh, there’s a bunch, but I really like Angèle Restaurant & Bar for its food, service and vibe.

What’s your favorite thing about living and working in Napa? Two things: the pastoral beauty of the place and the people, just such a great community of people passionate about wine and tourism.

Any wine, restaurant or trip on your bucket list? I’d like to do a sparkling wine tour of England.

Any brush with celebrity? Kyle Busch, the NASCAR driver came in for a tasting and was a nice guy.

Final thoughts? Oh, this was a lot of fun, glad you came by and look forward to people reading this.