Motorcycling Without Beer? You Might Want to Try the Grape from V-Twin Vineyards

Photo courtesy of V-Twin Vineyards

Though it may not be the best idea to drink while you’re riding, in a lot of ways, having an adult beverage or two is  built into the culture of motorcycling. The most sensible riders cover the ground they intend on riding during the day, and then stopping for a few beers at the end of the ride or when they make it home safe.

If you’re not all about the beer, then V-Twin Vineyards is offering you an alternative to the icy cold beer that most bikers seem to favor.

From the V-Twin Vineyards site:

“It’s simple, really. We love wine and we love motorcycles. My wife and I were both born and raised in Sonoma County. I have spent nearly 25 years working in the wine industry in numerous capacities. Prior to launching V-Twin Vineyards, I was working as ‘fine wine buyer’ for SWS in Las Vegas and spent most of my time tracking down cult wines for the casinos. No one had yet recognized the connection between ‘Fine Wines’ and the ‘Affluent Harley / Motorcycle Enthusiast.’

Over dinner we were trying to figure out a way to do what we really enjoyed – riding motorcycles – and enjoying fine wines. We started throwing out ideas and the name V-Twin Zin was born. We soon moved back to Sonoma County and went to work in getting our licenses and permits in place to begin making wine.”

The V-Twin Zin will set you back  $24 a bottle and according to enthusiasts, V-Twin Zin is a “smooth, drinkable wine made with grapes carefully selected from an estate vineyard in the legendary Dry Creek Valley.”

Since I myself have a horrible allergy to something in beer, I tend toward fine whiskeys and wines as my choice du jour at the end of a hard day’s riding, so the V-Twin Vineyards Merlot sounds like the perfect compliment to dinner.

If you’re thinking that this stuff might not be up to par, think again. This is no ‘paper bag’ wine to be enjoyed standing on the corner outside the liquor store. V-Twin Vineyards boasts a fairly impressive list of awards for their prowess…

Gold Medal

• 2008 Riverside International Wine Competition
• 2008 Orange County Fair
• 2008 Sonoma County Harvest Fair

Silver Medal

• 2009 Sonoma County Harvest Fair
• 2008 Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition
• 2008 San Francisco International Wine & Spirits Competition
• 2008 Professional Wine Buyers Competition

Bronze Medal

• 2008 Orange County Fair

Product: V-Twin Zin

Varieties: Bike Week Merlot and Poker Run Zin

Suggested retail price(s): $25

Contact information:

V-Twin Vineyards

P.O. Box 7912

Santa Rosa, CA USA 95407

Phone: 707.573.8215

Website: vtwinwines.com

E-mail: info@vtwinwines.com

Though they made their bones with their  Zinfandels, their  Merlot seems pretty intriguing as well.

According to vintners, bikers and owners, Scott and Lisa Del Fava, the Merlot features “aroma’s of cedar, black cherries, licorice with earthy notes.”

Sounds good to me…

Whatever you do, make sure you understand the consequences of riding while intoxicated. It’s not only dangerous, but it can wreak havoc with your driver’s license and your insurance rates.