What is the main difference between a red zinfandel wine and a malbec, besides p

  1. Storytellersrus profile image69
    Storytellersrusposted 12 years ago

    What is the main difference between a red zinfandel wine and a malbec, besides place of origin?

    The Lodi red zinfandel I had last night tasted more chocolate compared to last week's Argentinian malbec, which made me think black cherry.   Is this label specific?  How is it meant to taste?  Also, with which foods would you pair these wines?

  2. profile image57
    toddboldtposted 10 years ago

    The flavor profiles will be similar between these two grapes being black fruit and spice.  The Malbec generally tends toward Black Cherries, Plums and Spice (allspice, nutmeg and mace) while the Zinfandel will show more Blackberries, Jam and spice (cinnamon, clove, black pepper and licorice). 
    Both wines can be full body and can tend toward the higher alcohol levels.  California is your go-to for Zinfandel and while Malbec originated as a blending grape in Bordeaux, today's go-to is Argentina.
    When pairing, the rule of thumb is to follow WTF...... No, weight, flavor and texture.
    Zinfandel can be medium to very-full bodied and Malbec will be full to very-full bodied which gives a few more options for Zin.  Malbecs texture tends to be rich, round, silky, smooth, soft and velvety.  Zinfandel is chewy, dense, rich, juicy, ripe and smooth.
    I would pair Zinfandel with barbeque and grilled meats.  Malbec, I would pair with lamb,  roasted, braised or stewed beef.
    Don't be afraid to explore different producers and always taste before deciding. When you find a style you enjoy the turn to the label for the region and any notes from the winemaker.  Use these characteristics as a starting point when looking for another wine you might enjoy.  Zins from Lodi will be very similar and you will  be able to compare the differences between producers.  Zins from Napa or Sonoma will show very different profiles and you can then compare regional impacts on the grape.
    Enjoy, and never stop exploring.

 
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)