“From water, comes wine” – never has this been more true than with The Divining Rod wines. By giving life to countless vineyards across California, Marc Mondavi quite literally “turns water into wine.” Marc Mondavi started The Divining Rod label in 2012 in honor of his ability to locate underground water sources and establish vineyards. The first new brand from C. Mondavi & Family in over 60 years, The Divining Rod has secured its place in a long line of fine wines created by this iconic family.
Marc’s “sixth sense” for water divining (also called water witching or dowsing) and connection with the land, put him on another level of winemaking. That’s why we say that his Divining Rod wines are supernatural and perfect for Halloween and the cooler temperatures of autumn.
2014 Divining Rod Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley
98% Cabernet Sauvgnon, 2% “a little magic” (Petit Verdot, Malbec)
At less than $20 a bottle, this wine is perfectly paired with dessert. This Divining Rod Cabernet Sauvignon delivers a bouquet of black cherry, blackberry, and plum and light flavors of cocoa, which complements the rich, creaminess of desserts.
One of my favorite ways to enjoy this Cabernet is with dark chocolate. For years, I’ve enjoyed a pieces of sea salted dark chocolate–take a sip, take a bit. It’s absolutely decadent. However, more recently, I’ve discovered that rimming my wine glasses in dark chocolate ganache gives me an entirely new experience.
To make your own ganache, it’s a simple 2:1 ratio…2 parts dark chocolate pieces/bars/chips and 1 part heavy cream or half & half. Place the cream and chocolate pieces in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring at the end of each interval, until the chocolate melts and the ganache is smooth. Then, dip the rim of each glass and allow to dry slightly before pouring wine. Because of the cream, the chocolate will never completely harden, and if the ganache drips down the sides of the glass, oh well. No one ever complained about too much chocolate.
2014 Divining Rod Divine Red, Lodi, California
55% Zinfandel, 20%Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Petite Sirah, 2% Petit Verdot
For most of us, the idea of an outstanding, yet inexpensive, wine is a paradox. It’s not logical; it shouldn’t make sense, but it does. At less than $15 a bottle, Divining Rod Divine Red should be in everyone’s collection. With it’s aromas of black cherry and baking spice and blackberry and plum flavors, I immediately wanted to pair it with cinnamon and cranberry scones.
For wines with such a distinct aroma and flavor, rimming the glass with a little cinnamon and sugar creates a sip that accentuates the spice of the wine. To rim your own glasses, dip the rim of the glass in either water or fruit juice and then, the cinnamon-sugar mixture. For our glasses, we rubbed the edged of the glass with a slice of pear, finished with a 2 TBSP sugar to 1 tsp cinnamon mixture, and garnished with another slice of pear.
2014 Divining Rod Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon
100% Pinot Noir
Like the other wines in the Divining Rod label, this Pinot Noir delivers exceptional flavor at an unbelievable affordable price point. At under $20 a bottle, this wine doesn’t have to be saved for a special occasion. This wine begs to be opened on date night or after the kids have gone to bed for an adults only treat. In fact, we treated ourselves to an early evening, candlelit, dessert picnic while the kids were watching TV.
With a wine that has been so carefully grown, harvested, and aged, figuring out a pairing and rim that wouldn’t destroy the delicate fruit flavors and still highlight the sweetness was a bit more challenging. For this dessert picnic, I rimmed the glass in white chocolate ganache (same ratio as the dark chocolate ganache…2 parts chocolate:1 part cream) and then, then dipped the wet ganache in crushed chocolate wafer cookies (chocolate animal crackers).
The end result…adult cookies & cream rimmed wine glasses. Since white chocolate isn’t technically chocolate, it merely adds a creaminess to the wine and turns the wine into dessert.
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