Saldo Zinfandel: Plain label, a lively wine within

If you ever used a “Dymo Label Maker” to squeeze off tags at work, you’re probably old enough to buy wine in any of our 50 states. Now, mostly replaced by other labeling systems, this classic does show up now and then. But stuck on a bottle of wine? Now that’s a stretch!

After spinning off from Orin Swift in 2009, the Prisoner Wine Company continues to pride themselves in creative wines with labels to match. Their most austere bottle design, Saldo, sports a classic Dymo label; it’s plain on the outside, but not on the inside!

Saldo is a prime example of a complex Zinfandel that exemplifies the potential range of the grape. And each vintage has proved to be just the opposite of the bottle’s label, unique.

The 2013 vintage Saldo bouquet shows immediately with a deep black raspberry and spice bouquet that is so essential for Old Vine Zinfandel, then, other nuances come through. It sure seems like there is a lot of fruit in there from Lodi, but who knows.

With a wonderfully rich body of more dark berries and mellow spices, this is the perfect wine to have with gatherings this winter season. They have timed their move onto store shelves for this vintage perfectly.

Be sure to pair Zins like this with barbeque ribs, or just a big batch of grilled burgers. There are even a few marinara red sauce Italian dishes that will go along quite nicely. Saldo’s soft finish will not get in the way of cheese and garlic, a nice twist, not overly jammy.

Pick it up at AJ’s for about $28. And if you want it even cheaper, Saldo often appears on Costco’s shelves.

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