A hearty, spice-laden Californian red packed with ripe bramble fruit and smooth, warming depth from Lodi’s historic old vines.

Tasting Notes & Food Pairings

In the Glass:

Pours a deep, inviting garnet. On the nose, it immediately delivers generous aromas of dark black cherry, crushed blackberries, and stewed plum, alongside a dusting of cocoa and sweet baking spices like cinnamon and clove.

On the Palate:

Rich and fruit-forward without being overly heavy on its feet. Juicy mouthfuls of ripe brambles, strawberry-rhubarb tart, and black cherry jam coat the palate, backed by soft, rounded tannins and gentle cedar oak. The finish is long, warming, and distinctly spicy, leaving a lingering note of cracked black pepper and dark chocolate.

Food Pairings:

This is built for robust, comforting scran. It is brilliant alongside slow-cooked barbecue beef brisket, venison burgers, glazed pork ribs, or a rich venison casserole. If you fancy pasta, match it with a spicy penne all'arrabbiata or baked rigatoni with Italian fennel sausages. For cheese lovers, try it with a wedge of mature cheddar or smoked Gouda.

About the Producer

Behind the cheeky, tongue-in-cheek label is a wine crafted under the Mendocino Wine Company umbrella, an independent, family-rooted outfit renowned for sustainable winemaking and championing heritage Californian vineyards. Zin-Phomaniac was created with a clear, unpretentious brief: make an unabashedly authentic, fruit-generous Zinfandel for folks who appreciate the grape's bold, sun-drenched character. Instead of taking themselves too seriously, they let the quality of old-vine Californian fruit do all the talking, keeping the focus squarely on good value, honest craft, and outright drinkability.

Vineyard & Winery

Viticulture & Terroir:

The fruit is sourced entirely from Lodi in northern California's Central Valley, widely regarded as the spiritual home of heritage Zinfandel. Sheltered between the Sierra Nevada foothills and the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, Lodi benefits from warm Mediterranean sunshine by day and cooling marine breezes by night. The vines used for Zin-Phomaniac range from 20 to well over 50 years of age, rooted in deep, sandy-loam soils that force their roots deep in search of water. These older, gnarled bush vines yield naturally small crops of intensely concentrated, flavour-packed berries.

Winemaking & Maturation:

Grapes were harvested at optimal phenolic ripeness to capture full fruit depth while maintaining balance. After destemming and a temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel to extract colour, soft tannins, and vibrant fruit aromatics, the wine was aged in seasoned oak barrels. This gentle wood contact introduces subtle notes of toasted cedar, vanilla, and sweet baking spice without overshadowing the pure bramble fruit character. Bottled in a certified sustainable facility using vegan-friendly fining methods.