California Zinfandel



Peachy Canyon Zinfandel




Cartlidge& Brown Zinfandel



Layer Cake & Longhop Shiraz

Rosenblum Zinfandel

One of the things that I enjoy having while visiting the US is American Zinfandel, which happens to be my favorite American red.  There are a number of good Zinfandels that I can get at the Dekalb Farmer's Market and I will attempt to describe the flavors of these that I selected.  I also included 2 Aussie Shirazes for comparison purposes.  I tend to have more Australian Shirazu in Tokyo because it's also very tasty and more readily available. 

To begin with, the Rosenblum Cellars Zin contains hints of blackberry, casis and plumb.  It is slightly rich, but not overpowering.  Next, the Peachy Canyon reminds me of strawberry, cranberry, and apple.  It has a young and fresh flavor.  In addition, the Cartlidge contains a little more bitterness than the other 2.  The flavor contains ripe plum, black cherry and bits of young parsimmon. Lastly, the Layercake Shiraz has a richer and more  wooden flavor.  It reminds me of chocolate, spice, and black cherry.  As for the Longhop, it is also a rich shiraz with more jucy flavors.  It contains hints of cherry, melon, and pear.   Bottoms Up!

Sipping Sake in Atlanta, Georgia

Iwanoii junmai ginjou nama

Chitosetsuru junmai daiginjo

Yamasenmasamune junmaiginjo nama genshu

These are 3 different sake that I brought back to my hometown, Atlanta, Georgia from Tokyo. They are Iwanoii, from Chiba Prefecture (my favorite sake), Chitosetsuru, from Sapporo in Hokkaido, and Yamasenmasamune from Shimane Prefecture. All 3 sakes have their own unique characteristics and I will attempt to explain the different flavors or each brew.

To start with, Iwanoii has soft fruity impact with hints of vanila and cream soda, but ever so slight. Not nearly as sweet as the real thing. Next, Chitosetsuru is a rather dry sake with a pear or parsimon like flavor. Lastly, Yamasen masamune is a high impact sake with considerable body, due to its higher alcohol content. The sake contains hints of apple juce in it's flavor profile.