Whoa!  Something happened between yesterday and today. . .and we could feel it!  It was an even more noticeable difference between Saturday and today.  Just when you think that the Spring weather is here to stay and that all that cold weather is moving north, Mother Nature finds a way to have the ‘last laugh’. . .Okay, so 40 degrees isn’t freezing, but at the end of March in this part of the world, it might as well be!  Factor in a north wind and you’ve got wind chills in the upper 20’s to low 30’s.  For our readers in the northern tier, we understand the laughter coming from you. . .having spent 13 years in the St. Louis are, we GET cold weather.  It’s a big part of the reason we’re ‘down south’.  But, it’s still a wake up call when the wind blows from the northwest and the temps drop into the 40’s. . .or below.  It’s yet another reminder that we aren’t in charge and that winter hits the road on ITS’ terms not ours!  No matter how many “named” storms the Weather Channel comes up with for winter, they’ll quit coming when nature is ready for the spring time.

Speaking of named storms, now we have to wonder if they’ll name the spring storms. . .will each tornado get its’ own name?  Will there be Super Spring Storms?  And who–who is the person naming those storms and WHY?  And, what ever happened to Storm Stories?  You know, people who get in their cars to hit the road in search of “The Perfect Storm”. . .oh, wait, we’ve already had two of those!

Tonight, even though it’s Monday, we started off the week with a Zinfandel that caught us completely off guard.  An H-E-B gem that until yesterday, we had no idea it even existed.  From the Zinfandel wine growing region of Lodi in California comes this 2009 Silk Oak Zinfandel from Oak Ridge Winery–the same folks that make, OZV Zinfandel.  This wine is a killer.  The nose–man, the nose is pure zinfandel. . .lots of pepper and spice as well as dark fruit. . .it’s so amazing and yet hard to believe.  The taste is still classic zin, but–aerate the wine. . .give is some time. . .swirl it around and you get a finish that isn’t expected.  Normally, when we taste Zins. . .they finish with a classic, peppery taste, but this Silk Oak threw us for a loop. . it was vanilla.  As plain as day. . .a vanilla finish.  Subtle at first and then much more pronounced!  As the wine opened, the vanilla came through more and more . . we were blown away.  This was delicious, surprising, affordable and one that could be bought in quantity and saved for a great deck wine.  Priced at less than $15 a bottle, you won’t pay more for less–instead, you’ll pay LESS for MORE!  Yeah, it’s that good.  Now, we aren’t talking — lay this vintage down for 15 years — then drink it. . .we’re saying, for a ‘here and now’ wine, this Zin is a clear winner.

And, whether your weather is clear and sunny or you still have snow on the ground, in order to hit the ground running this spring, you need a good Zin to make everything right.  Silk Oak is the answer to that calling.  And, if you’ve been dealing with cold, nasty weather, we understand, empathize and hope that yours turns warm and sunny.

Enjoy your favorite wine responsibly and remember to recycle whenever possible.