Ever heard that phrase “it’s an oldie, but a goodie”?    Some things in life simply transcend time:   such as, a classic vintage car on a warm August afternoon, a carefully planned picnic with time-tested recipes, roadside grape vines before harvest and a good bottle of an old vine wine.  Regardless of when you choose to enjoy any of these, a reliable romantic standard of elegance and class is set.  

This week a good friend, who owns a 1928 Ford Model A Sport Coupe, suggested that we take her car out to the vineyards for a drive.    Heading out into the vineyards on a warm summer afternoon in Napa Valley easily merits a picnic and as tribute to my friend’s vintage car, I decided that it was only fitting to bring along a bottle of an old vine zinfandel wine.  

In my earlier article “Is it a Sin to Love Zin”, I briefly discussed old vine zinfandels.   As previously noted, old vine wines are made from grapes harvested from grape vines known as “old vines.”    “Old vines” are generally recognized to be at least fifty years in age, but in Napa and neighboring Sonoma Valley, some old vine zinfandels hail from vines anywhere from eighty to one hundred years old.    Zinfandel made its first arrival in California in the 1850’s, with the first notable Zinfandel being recognized in 1857 out of Napa Valley in the Oak Knoll District.    While many would think that old vines of zinfandel grapes would dominate the valleys of Napa and Sonoma Counties, many were ripped out during the Prohibition (1920 to 1933).   Thus, when you do find a truly old vine wine you are in for a treat. 

To honor the outing in my friend’s 1928 Ford Model A, I reviewed the old vine zinfandels in my collection and decided upon a wine from Sonoma County:    Ledson’s 2006 Russian River Old Vine Zinfandel, known as “Amy’s Vineyard”.   The “Amy’s Vineyard” Old Vine Zinfandel is produced from hand-selected grapes from a vineyard near the Russian River and from vines nearly one hundred years old.   Given that I was planning a picnic, I wanted an Old Vine Zinfandel that would not be overwhelmed by the influence of its terrior and bring forth some festive fruit on the palate, while embodying the silky, velvety sensations akin to truly good Old Vine Zinfandels.     My selection did not disappoint in the least.    Splashing raucously into the glass, the wine has a deep, rich dark burgundy color triggering the imagination to envision velvet.   Even while admiring the coloring of this wine, your nose does not have to venture far to begin gathering hints of berry fruit and spice.   Venturing further into the glass, your nose is met by an onslaught of raspberry preserves, a hint of vanilla bean, and spices such as anise, clove and pepper.   Knowing that there is a lot going on with the nose, it would seem like the wine is going to come charging across the palate.   However, it is on the palate that the virtue of the old vines takes center stage.    Benefitting from the age of its vines, the wine manages to magically pull the big raspberry fruit, spices and vanilla together and into balance on the palate.   By no means is the palate to be construed as a disappointment.   To the contrary, the wine amazes the palate as its consistency is thick, velvety and finishes with a silken touch.   As you experience these sensations, all of those scents that were experienced on the nose find their respective places on the palate and with notable presence.

So, a picnic?   Doesn’t Zinfandel go with barbeque?

Of course Zinfandels go with barbeque.    In fact, in the earlier article, I created a Barbeque Chipotle Chicken to pair with a zinfandel known for big white pepper on the palate.    The “Amy’s Vineyard” Old Vine Zinfandel from Ledson could easily go with barbeque as well.   However, it can also pair with a multitude of other foods and given the notes in this particular wine, there is ample room to be creative with my picnic menu.    Given that I am creating a picnic themed with my friend’s vintage car and to pair with a wonderful old vine wine, my menu features old-fashioned recipes (but of course with a gourmet twist):

1)      Chicken Club Lettuce Wraps;

2)     Asparagus, Heirloom Cherry Tomato and Tortellini Salad Marinated in Old Vine Zinfandel Vinagrette; and

3)     Baked Apples with a Crème Fraiche Glaze.

Bacon-Lettuce-Tomato and Chicken Club Sandwiches have been on American menus and American tables for decades.     Looking for a creative and healthy alternative, I elected to create the ingredients for the Chicken Club Sandwich as a salad to be placed in sweet fresh leaves of butter lettuce.    Given that lettuce is taking the place of bread or the traditional wrap, I whisked up a light Mayonnaise White Wine Vinaigrette with some minced shallots to toss the chicken, bacon, garden-fresh roma tomatoes and avocado.   Also, since this is a picnic style salad, I added some minced water chestnuts to the mixture to help maintain moisture and a sense of refreshment.    And, just in case my friend missed bread, I zested some buttery croutons over the top of the salad to give a flavorful illusion of toasted bread akin to chicken club sandwiches of yesteryear.    Whether you eat this with a fork or roll the lettuce leaves up to eat it as a wrap, this Chicken Club Wrap is an instant friend to the “Amy’s Vineyard” Old Vine Zinfandel due to the bacon, tomato and avocado components in the dish.  

All picnics have potato salad.   Or do they?    Thinking long and hard, I started looking at old family recipes from long-passed great aunts of mine.    Many of them lived on farms with abundant produce and it was not uncommon to utilize what they had to create side dishes for lunches or picnics.    What we trendily call “the practice of sustainability” today has been a practice in my extended family for generations.   Stumbling across a recipe for marinated asparagus and tomatoes, my interest peaked.   Asparagus is a vegetable that many often love but rarely veers from traditionally found preparations.   My great aunt’s recipe was a good starting place.   But for the purposes of my menu, it needed… “tweaking”.    Given that zinfandels made in California are known for higher alcohol content, I elected to add chilled cooked tortellini to the blanched asparagus.    Having an abundance of three different types of heirloom cherry tomatoes from my garden, I elected to substitute these for traditional vine-ripened tomatoes.    Next up for scrutiny was the marinade.    My great aunt’s recipe called for a marinade using white wine vinegar.   Given that I had just prepared the Chicken Club Wraps with white wine vinegar, I decided to diversify the dish with red wine vinegar.  And if I was using red wine vinegar, how could I not put some of the wine for the picnic into this vinaigrette?  Adding some shallots and some crumbled Point Reyes’ Blue Cheese (among other ingredients), I had a unique marinade to add to a time-tested family recipe.    Later taking this chilled marinated salad on the picnic pleasingly proved satisfying, yet light and refreshing on a hot August afternoon.    The marinade was a perfect success as it brought forth the rich flavors of the three different types of cherry tomatoes and tied nicely back to the wine.  

Finally, a picnic is not complete without some form of dessert.   Naturally, an American classic dessert is apple pie.    However, keeping in mind that I would be riding in a 1928 Ford Model A, there was not going to be much room for extra items.   A whole pie would not have easily fit into my picnic basket and was definitely an unnecessary amount of food for two people.    Instead, I created individual Baked Apples with a Crème Fraiche Glaze.   Each dessert was is in its own separate serving dish with a sealed lid which made it not only fit perfectly in my picnic basket but also amenable for picnic transport in the rumble seat of a small vintage roadster.   Finishing up the picnic with the Baked Apples while polishing off the last sip of “Amy’s Vineyard” Old Vine Zinfandel, was a sweet yet warm, rich end.    The cinnamon, sugar and nutmeg in the Baked Apples tied beautifully with the spices in the wine and the Crème Fraiche Glaze accentuated the vanilla notes in the zinfandel as well.   As we wrapped up our picnic, my friend and I both noted that this dessert was a pleasant testament that a red wine does not have to be paired with chocolate for dessert.  

Wrapping up our picnic in the early evening summer sun, our stomachs were content yet not stuffed and our palates were enchanted by a delicious old vine zinfandel.   Heading back into Napa, people on the sidewalks would wave at us as my friend’s 1928 Ford Model A rumbled along.    Witnessing the broad smiles on the faces of strangers as we passed and noting the confirmed success of an old-fashioned picnic menu paired with an old vine zinfandel, it certainly proved that sometimes something “old” is far more meaningful than something “new”.