Oil and Spice (and Other Things Nice)

There’s a cool little shop down in our neighboring far East Bay city of Brentwood, and Kathy and I drove out yesterday to check in.

We hadn’t visited Brentwood Spice and Olive Oil Company in over a year, so we were definitely long overdue. Every once in a while, we’d run into proprietors Dawn and David at the occasional wine tasting around the region, and we receive their monthly e-newsletters, but I think the last time we saw them on their own home turf was when Kath was in desperate need of a couple of teaspoons of cardamom seeds for a recipe: Selling even minute quantities of a huge array of bulk ingredients, it was Brentwood Spice to the rescue!

As pioneering olive growers and producers of CoCo County olive oils, and prime purveyors of culinary seasoning, Dawn and David’s endeavor represents the ultimate marriage made in foodie heaven; not just in business, but in real life, too.

Relatively recently, the proprietors have added wine to the spicy mix. Kathy and I got to check it out for the first time, and we were truly impressed with the several dozen selections representing a worldwide swath at great price points. One of our favorite varietal grapes is Lemberger. It was supposed to have been Washington state’s answer to Zinfandel years ago, but the name, like the wines made from it, never caught on up there. Well, darned if Dawn and David’s small shop didn’t feature a Lemberger from Lodi of all places! It was one of the only Lembergers we’ve seen since we moved to CoCo, and pretty well the only local one we’ve encountered.

Another treasure we walked away with was a dessert Zinfandel currently (currantly?) sporting the label of “Brentwood Cellars,” reflecting D&D’s newest venture: their own wine line. This particular 2003 vintage bottling was produced at an established winery in nearby Martinez, and sported a different wrapping until David and Dawn were able to jump through all the government hoops which regulate what needs to legally appear (or not appear) on a wine label.

The 2003 Zinfandel Paraiso California Dessert Wine is an 18% sweetie now adorned in new Brentwood Cellars duds. It exhibits a nice unctuous nose of dried plum hinting of cloves. It’s a tasty mouthful of plump raisin and big fruit in balanced sweetness on a long finish.

Dawn told us yesterday that she was recently given about three dozen Zin clippings, which she plopped into the ground in their backyard; they’re all now bearing blossoms. Too bad we’ll have to wait a while for the wine made from that fruit. Let the countdown begin.