Benjamin Disraeli was famously quoted as proclaiming: “The magic of first love is our ignorance that it can never end.”

With all due respect to the late and esteemed Mr. Disraeli, I must say that I disagree, particularly when it comes to wine. The first grape I ever had the pleasure of making into wine more than 30 years ago was zinfandel.  And even though the resulting  liquid  was so over-oaked that it resembled toasted wood more than  it did wine, I still love zinfandel (made by professionals)  to this day.

As I have noted in this space before, zinfandel is the Rodney Dangerfield of red wines. It certainly doesn’t get any respect and even though many enjoy it, very few people want to take it home to dinner.  Why?  Well, the truth is that zinfandel has an identity problem.  In fact, it has multiple identities.  Are you listening, Dr. Freud?

The grape is so versatile that winemakers make it in a variety of styles. From white to blush, from light    to  medium -bodied, from  full-bodied to purple monster, zinfandel can be a confusing wine to buy and, unless you are familiar with the style made by a particular winery, it is difficult to match it with food.

The other problem comes from some wine critics who have declared that, while zinfandel  has some utility and can be a pleasant quaff, it really cannot be taken seriously because it does not age gracefully.  Since it does not benefit from extended cellaring (they proclaim), it should be drunk within the first few years after bottling.

I won’t deny that zinfandel – and almost every red and white wine produced on this planet – is best consumed within a few years after being made. However, I can attest to the fact that zinfandel does indeed age well and can be gracefully transformed into a multi-layered, subtle and complex wine - descriptors which are customarily reserved to describe revered  old Bordeaux.

How can I make such a claim?  Read on.

To honor this much maligned varietal and to test just how well (or not) zinfandel can age, some zin- fanatics (and yours truly) put together a vertical, blind tasting of zinfandel produced from 1974 through 1982.

There were 11 wines in the tasting (ranging in age from 27 to 35) and all were placed in paper bags to hide their labels. The zinfandels were:  1974 through 1980 Sutter Home (Amador County);   1980 Grgich Hills (Alexander Valley); 1980 Burgess (Napa); and 1981 and 1982 Grgich Hills (Sonoma County).

While the cellar conditions where the wines were stored could not be described as perfect, they were reasonably good. My wines had been aged on their sides in a dark and vibration free area of the cellar that has consistent temperature and humidity.   My good friend and wine aficionado, Andy MacQueen, had contributed wines too and his cellar conditions were similar to mine.

The wines had been allowed to sit upright for a week prior to the tasting to make sure all the sediment would fall to the bottom.  Just before the tasting, I carefully decanted the wines one by one into a carafe and immediately poured them back into the bottles which had been quickly rinsed to dispose of the sediment.  I also inserted the corks back in the bottles to prevent any further oxidation.

So with an assembled group of anxious and anticipatory wine geeks all fired up and ready, we got down to some serious sipping and evaluating.  Of the 11 wines, four were deemed by the group to be “over the hill” and virtually undrinkable. Those were the 1980 Burgess and 1976, 1978 and 1980 Sutter Home.  The remaining seven wines were all very drinkable and a couple of them were amazingly complex.

Some of the notes from the tasters described these varied and diverse attributes:  ‘tack room and teaberry mint aromas; coffee, cola and spicy cherry flavors; licorice, mint and tea notes;  silky, rich, subtle; and  minty, sweet fruit, layered flavors.’

The consensus favorite was the amazing 1974 Sutter Home Amador County. I described it as “a wine with leather and teaberry mint aromas, silky tannins, rich, sweet cola flavors and remarkable length – a wine with another five or more years of life.”  The 1975, 1977 and 1979 Sutter Home along with the 1980 Grgich Hills were also delicious examples of how well zinfandel can age.

No,  I’m not suggesting that you wait 30 or more years to replicate my tasting to determine if zinfandel can age as well as Bordeaux.   You just need to go out and experience today’s zinfandel, a wine  that is chock full of spicy, minty, jammy, blackberry flavors . And you’ll be amazed at how well zin goes with just about any full-flavored dish.

However, I have to admit it does my hillbilly heart good to prove that the prevailing view among the wine cognoscenti (regarding zinfandel’s inability to age well) is just one more de-bunked myth!

Do you find yourself burdened with a plethora of outdoor chores this weekend? With the heat index reaching Death Valley levels, those grass cutting, weed eating honey-do’s will sap the last lick of energy from your seriously dehydrated body. Thirst is a terrible thing and so in weather like this, one needs – above all else – to force fluids (I’m pretty good at this), limit outdoor activities (golf and fishing don’t count) and spend as much time as possible indoors.

The fact that I won’t be leaving the house, though, doesn’t mean I won’t be preparing a delicious barbecue meal. In fact, I plan on doing a brisket of beef that I will slather with some of wineboy’s own sweet and sour barbecue sauce or “mop” (see recipe below). I’ll accompany the barbecue with creamy cole slaw and  a baked macaroni and (four) cheese casserole that’s flavored with chipotles in adobo sauce (you’ll find cans of these fiery little goodies  at many supermarkets).

So, how will I accomplish this feat without beating feet outdoors?  Simple.  I’ll use a pre-cooked and smoked brisket that you can find at some grocery stores or at Sam’s Club. I know, I know…It’s almost un-American to call this shortcut barbecue, but it is a pretty good alternative to subjecting my feeble bones to the very real possibility of heat stroke.

So what beverage goes with such great barbecue fare? I suspect that to some folks (particularly my good friend and fellow blogger Rich Ireland  - http://thegazz.com/gblogs/beerstoyou/ ) it’s traditional  to drink that foamy beverage with the menu suggestion above. And I wouldn’t disagree. However, after a little warm-up with your favorite frosty lager, I’m going to suggest you try a sip or two of  wine with this meal.  

If you’re thinking that full-flavored reds would go nicely with the brisket, you are somewhat correct. But barbecue also does nicely with cooling and refreshing wines, many of which are not red.  So how about trying a refreshing - heaven forbid –white wine?  No problem with either choice as far as I’m concerned, but first let me tell you about an experience that opened my eyes and my mind to unorthodox food and wine pairings. 

About 20 years ago, I had the opportunity to visit a winery in Lake County California  - which is about two hours directly north of the Napa Valley.  I made the trek to Guenoc Winery to visit with Orville Magoon – a Hawaiian hydrologist turned winemaker – who was the guiding force behind Guenoc. 

 Magoon was absolutely obsessed with Lilly Langtry (the “Jersey Lilly”), an 18^th century actress/prostitute turned genteel lady , who occupied the main house that still exists on the Guenoc winery grounds. So much was Magoon taken with the “Lilly” that Langtry’s face adorned every bottle of Guenoc.

I had dinner with Magoon at the historic house and sipped several of his wines with a multi-course meal that  included barbecued wild boar that had been “ harvested” at the winery.  Magoon chose to accompany this course, much to my surprise, with a Guenoc chardonnay. Lo and behold! The match was delicious.

Magoon has long since sold his winery and Lilly’s face no longer graces the label, but the message resounded loud and clear:  you might be pleasantly surprised if you push the wine and food envelope every now and then.

 In honor of Magoon (and because the wines are particularly good), I’m going to recommend both of the following Guenoc wines as able accompaniments to the barbecue brisket.

2007 Guenoc Lake County Chardonnay ($12) – Lovely, ripe pear and bright fruit flavors highlight this nicely balanced chardonnay. Rich and round with excellent acidity, the wine is a refreshing accompaniment to the barbecue.

2006  Guenoc Lake County Petite Sirah ($14) – This is a full-flavored wine with tones of ripe dark fruit, coffee and spice with  none of the sometimes baked raisin flavors petite sirah can exhibit when made from fruit grown in very hot regions.  It is remarkably well balanced  and a delicious pairing with the brisket.

The WineBoy Mop

 One cup of Ketchup

One quarter cup of  apple cider vinegar

One teaspoon of dry mustard

One 12- ounce can of beer

Two ounces of molasses

Two tablespoons of brown sugar

One teaspoon of cayenne pepper

Two ounces of orange juice

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Turn down the  heat to a simmer and stir until the liquid begins to stick to the back of the spoon.  Baste the mop onto the brisket before putting it into the oven bag, and then brush again once it is removed from the bag. Reserve most of the mop to ladle over the brisket once it is sliced.

I fell in love with chocolate decades ago and throughout the intervening years I have tried desperately to avoid becoming a full-fledged chocoholic.  My battle with this sweet addiction has caused me much angst, but over the past few years researchers have touted the healthful attributes of chocolate - or at least dark chocolate.

This research came as shocking, yet welcome, news and seemed a repudiation of what a whole generation of moms preached to us.  Remember  when your mom would scare you with horror stories about how too much chocolate would result in rotten teeth, pimples and obesity?

Your parents probably also warned you about drinking wine.  Just a few of decades ago, people who drank more than just an occasional glass were considered reprobates or wino’s by the moral police of the time whose idea of moderate drinking with meals was the three martini lunch.

While moderate wine consumption is considered acceptable now, chocolate had still been considered a somewhat decadent extravagance by health-conscious individuals.

Then a study known as The French Paradox suggested that moderate consumption of wine, especially red, with meals is the reason that people living in France, who consume a high fat diet, have significantly fewer heart attacks than Americans. The difference, we were told, is that Americans (who ate as much fat as the French), did not regularly consume wine with their meals.

Well, you’re probably not going to believe this, but a few years ago scientists at the University of California at Davis, who are experts on wine antioxidant research, found dark that chocolate has similar heart-healthy qualities.

But here’s the bonus:  It now seems that chocolate and red wine, when paired together, provide synergistic and increased health benefits in the form of reducing LDL cholesterol (the bad stuff).

Holy Cow!  Is this great, or what?

In a letter to The Lancet  (medical publication), the researchers reported finding that compounds in cocoa had an effect similar to those in wine in preventing LDL oxidation in the blood stream.

One researcher said, “The pleasant pairing of red wine and dark chocolate could have synergistic advantages beyond their complementary tastes.”

Shazamm!  My prayers have been answered!   

Unfortunately, too much of a good thing is not good for you. The key word apparently is moderation in both wine and chocolate consumption.  And the California researchers also add an admonition that “we certainly aren’t suggesting that people start eating chocolate to prevent coronary heart disease.”

This research only confirmed what I have known for years about the wonderful taste harmony of dark chocolate and full-bodied and rich red wines - particularly cabernet sauvignon. 

I first discovered this heavenly pairing when, by accident, I took a sip of my dinner cabernet after having just taken a bite of a delicious chocolate truffle dessert.  From then on, I made it a point to save a little of my red wine for dessert. 

Here are two reasonably priced cabernet sauvignon blends that prove the researchers’ point:  

2007 Hedges C.M.S. ($16) - This Washington State lovely elixir is a combination of cabernet, merlot and syrah (hence the  moniker C.M.S.) and is not only great with a grilled steak, it is also worth saving a few sips to enjoy with the above-mentioned dark chocolate.

2006 Altos de Luzon ($15) - From the Jumilla region of Spain, this blend of monastrell, cabernet sauvignon and tempranillo,  is a delicious concoction with dark cherry, blackberry and coffee tones.  The wine gets increasingly better in the glass and is the perfect match for chocolate once it’s time for dessert.    

 I must admit, however, that never, in my wildest fantasies, did I suspect that chocolate and wine could actually be good for me.  That’s not the way things are supposed to be, are they? Shouldn’t I feel a little guilt about this?

Nah.