Zinfandel is also known as Primitivo in Italy, but it originated on the Dalmation coast of Croatia where it's called Crljenak Kaštelanski (please don't ask me how to pronounce that). It was brought to the Puglia region of Italy in the 18th century where it spread around southern Italy, and it made it's first appearance in the United States when it was imported to Boston from Austria in 1829. Having arrived unmarked with a name, it became known as Zenfendel or Zinfindal among New England grape growers. The gold rush is what brought it to California in 1852, and by the end of the decade it was being grown in Napa and Sonoma. By the 1880's it was prized by the California wine industry because it was able to produce large yields, and during the American prohibition it was popular with home winemakers.
(This article was written for GrapeBunch, our weekly wine periodical. Click here to read the original!)
However, in the 1970's, Zinfandel was being ripped out of vineyards in favor of Merlot until White Zinfandel came along! That's right, White Zinfandel saved Zinfandel! What happened was this: a winery was making rosé out of their Zinfandel. They took the skins out of the juice once it was the color they wanted and left it to ferment. But the fermentation got stuck, so a lot of the sugar wasn't fermented into alcohol. So, what they had was a sweet pink wine. They bottled it anyways and people loved it! White Zinfandel was born, and because of it many Americans think that pink wine is sweet. Because of its sweetness and not-so-serious attitude, White Zinfandel is an excellent gateway wine to introduce people into wine.
What about the red wine though? Because Zinfandel naturally produces a lot of sugar, which is converted into alcohol, these wines can be very high in alcohol. They're dry but tend to have big juicy raspberries, strawberries, tobacco, and cinnamon. I prefer my Zinfandel earthy with lots of black pepper.
FOUR VINES OLD VIN ZINFANDEL
Old Vine Zinfandel is what Lodi is most known for! I like to call these wines "big sticky fruit". Four Vines Old Vine Zinfandel is 90% Zinfandel, 9% Petite Sirah, and 1% Rubired. It was aged for 10 months in French, Hungarian, and American oak. There's notes of wild berries, peppers, and spices on a big, juicy body. Pairing: anything involving barbecue sauce.
This article was written for The GrapeBunch Wine Periodical.
Subscribe and geek out about wine with Joey every week!
Joey Casco
Beverage Marketer
Certified Specialist of Wine
Certified Specialist of Spirits
Comments
Post a Comment