Work & Class NJ Meatballs & Bedrock Winery Zinfandel | Wine & Food Pairing

January 2016's Wine & Food Pairing features Work & Class and Joy Wine & Spirits.

The third Thursday of every month at 6:35 pm MST, Carolyn Joy of Joy Wine and Spirits teams up with a local chef to provide a divine wine and food pairing. 

Featured Wine: Bedrock Winery Zinfandel 2013

Zinfandel is the third largest wine crop in California behind Cabernet and Chardonnay. But most of it goes for either the sweet pink stuff introduced to us in the 70’s or rather non-descript wine.

Zinfandel was adopted by the Italian immigrants that arrived in the late 1800 and early 1900’s, who kept it thriving and alive through prohibition. After prohibition, these wines became known as “dego red” because so much of it was made at home by Italian immigrants. It is likely that Zinfandel survived prohibition because of these home winemakers.  And, thanks to them and to the pink stuff that introduced many Americans to wine, very old vines of Zinfandel were saved.  These vines date back to the 1880’s.

“Zinfandel is indeed a noble grape— and the noble grape that California can call its own. Similar to the other noble grapes of the world— the Pinot Noir of Burgundy, the Cabernet varieties of Bordeaux, the Nebbiolo of Piedmont, and the Riesling of Germany to name but a few— it only reaches an apogee of excellence when a fortuitous combination of great site, old vines, good year, and excellent winemaking intersect. More than any varietal— it is a bitch to make well.

As such, the styles vary dramatically, from sweet to pink to red, brooding and alcoholic, green and astringent, to jam. No varietal in California suffers more from bad-oaking. Indeed, the best examples are “Angel’s Visits.”  This is, according to wine maker Morgon Twain-Peterson. 

Morgon is the young founder of Bedrock Wine Company who grew up in the wine business and specifically the Zinfandel wine business, as his father was a founder of the iconic Ravenswood Winery.  Today, Bedrock Winery’s Old Vine Zinfandel, is a classic example of what Zinfandel can be. Though it is legally a Zinfandel, and labeled as such, it is also a Bedrock wine so you can be sure it has its full quotient of the wacky, weird and wonderful in it as well—nearly 23% Carignane, Mourvedre, Grenache, Petite Sirah, Abouriou, Aubun, and assorted mixed white varieties.  Many of the vineyards from which this wine is made, have grapes other than Zin grown in the field.  Some of the vines of these old vineyards are even white varietals.  This mixture contributes to the character, body and freshness of Bedrock’s Zin.   

It is a great wine to drink with this month’s feature of Meatballs with Chipotle Tomato Sauce and is available in limited quantities at Joy Wine & Spirits. 

Featured Recipe: Work & Class New Jersey Ernie’s Meatballs with Chipotle-Tomato Sauce

Special thanks to Dana Rodriguez & Delores Tronco of Work & Class.

Yields: 8–10 servings; about 40 2-ounce meatballs

These meatballs can be served on their own, with pasta, polenta, or on a sandwich with melted mozzarella cheese. If you have extra basil leaves, use them as garnish.

Meatballs

1 ½ pounds ground pork

1 pound ground veal

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 ¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ cup, plus 3 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano

¼ cup heavy cream

Chipotle Tomato Sauce

4 tablespoons butter

1 onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1–2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

5 leaves fresh basil

2 teaspoons salt or to taste

¼ teaspoon black pepper

2 26-ounce boxes or cans chopped tomatoes in their liquid