The Sherpa you see on the 2009 Sherpa Zinfandel is Jamling Tenzing Norgay, son of the legendary Tenzing Norgay (first man to summit Everest, an honor he shares with Sir Edmund Hillary, who he guided up the mountain). Jamling is also an Everest Summiteer, a Himalayan adventure guide, and someone who truly uses the outdoors as his office. What exactly is a Sherpa? Most people don’t know and most have never even heard of the word “Sherpa”. Well, Sherpas are natives of Nepal and are remarkable guides for mountaineers who trek up the mountains of the Himalayan mountain range. They are Buddhists.  About one third of the Sherpas who live in Nepal, live in Terai, a low, damp, hot area which harvests crops such as sugar cane and rice.(Most of the people in Terai are not Sherpa though.) Some Sherpas have carefully made their living by farming. Their main crop is potatoes, but they also grow rutabagas and other crops. One job Sherpas do is working on the great flanks of Mount Everest. In 1991 an unique expedition called 1991 Sherpa Everest Expedition brought Sherpas to the summit of Mount Everest, carrying the pride of the people. They are a hard working, happy, and dedicated people who can be counted on in difficult situations.

You gotta love that description. . .even if it says NOTHING about the wine, it DOES give a brief history lesson on the Sherpa.  Probably more than most folks want or care to read about!  But, we’re left with the wine…What does wine have to do with love, or gravity? We’re not quite sure, but there’s undoubtedly a connection. Gravity Hills Zinfandel is about respect for gravity while daring to defy it anyway. It’s a thumbs up to those who attempt to climb the summit, or fly from the summit, or just sit reverently in awe of the summit. Maybe it will inspire you to find your own Kilimanjaro, and get busy on the upward trail.  That is why their Zin has a screw cap instead of a cork. I mean, if you’re climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, why waste space in your backpack for a corkscrew?  Our thoughts EXACTLY!

So the 2009 Gravity Hills Zinfandel was our wine of choice tonight…an interesting nose. . .an interesting taste. . .an interesting finish.  It wasn’t what we’ve come to expect from a Zin, but it had so many ‘zin–like’ qualities!  The spiciness was there. . .very peppery!  The fruitiness was there. . .lots of dark fruit!  The finish was all of the above plus some green pepper and cloves.  At the end of the day, it opened up into a really, really nice Zin–not necessarily one worthy of spending time on the deck, but it could be a nice wine to serve with Kung Pao Chicken or something spicy.  We enjoyed it with some homemade pizza loaded with chopped garlic, fresh basil, sliced roma tomatoes, chopped red and orange peppers, green olives, amazing prosciutto ham, and chopped baby bella mushrooms!  A feast you ask?  No, but a great combination on a pizza!

You’ll probably want to try this wine–because trying wine is what tasting is all about!  What you do AFTER the tasting is entirely up to you!  We’re still not 100% sure this is a deck wine but we’d love to know what YOU think!  Anyway, as Monday gives way to Tuesday, please enjoy your favorite wine responsibly and remember to recycle whenever possible.