Zinfandel—America’s Mystery Grape

Perhaps no other wine grape enjoys a history so shrouded in mystery as Zinfandel. Not only do we not know its origin, we don't even know how it got to California in the first place. What we do know is that it quickly became California's most widely planted red wine grape and remained so for over a century.

Few single wine grapes have enjoyed the phenomenal success of Zinfandel. There are annual festivals devoted exclusively to it. There is a professional society whose membership includes thousands of consumers and almost every winery in the world that produces Zinfandel wine. Ever hear of a society devoted exclusively to Gewurztraminer? Or a major festival featuring a thousand Pinot Noirs to the exclusion of all other wines? We'll be reporting on two of these amazing Zinfandel events in our next article: The Zinfandel Advocates & Producers (ZAP) Annual Zinfandel Festival in San Francisco; and the Annual Paso Robles Zinfandel Festival held each March in Paso Robles.

But first, some background. There has been much discussion over the past decade or so about Zinfandel's origin. All agree that it descended from a European cultivar in the mid-nineteenth century and was offered by a New York nursery. That may seem odd since the Zinfandel we know today has not been successfully grown in the northeastern U.S. Some very vocal advocates claim Zinfandel is identical to an indigenous Croatian grape. Napa Valley winemaker Mike Grgich (Grgich Hills Winery) opened a winery devoted to this grape in Croatia. We tasted the Croatian version and his Napa Valley version side-by-side and found striking similarities. More recent DNA studies seem to point to a connection with the Italian Primitivo grape grown in Puglia. But some argue that the Italians got it from California since there is no evidence that it existed in Italy prior to the twentieth century. Others have contended that the Italians may have gotten it from Croatia! We were recently amused to see that an Italian Primitivo producer took Zinfandel cuttings from Ridge Vineyards in the 1990s and is now marketing an Italian Zinfandel in California.

Perhaps the greatest mystery surrounding Zinfandel is that it is so difficult to cultivate successfully outside of California. We've tasted examples from South Africa, Oregon, Washington State, and Australia. The Australian example was actually quite good, but didn't come close to competing with top level California Zinfandels. All others were little more than curiosities.

Since Zinfandel is equally at home in California's hot interior valleys (Dry Creek), cool coastal regions (Templeton), and high altitude locations (Sierra Foothills), why no great examples from Washington or South America? It's a mystery.

CHANGING STYLES IN ZINFANDEL

We know of no other varietal that offers the spectrum of styles we see in Zinfandel. A Zinfandel can be white (light pink) or red, dry or sweet, sparkling (carbonic maceration) or still. It can be late harvested for a dessert wine or made into a splendid Port. It even finds its way into sacramental wine thanks largely to its low cost, high alcohol, and mild tannins.

Over the years, we've seen remarkable shifts in Zinfandel style. After the bristly, tannic Zinfandels of the 1960s, the varietal all but disappeared from public view. The most widely purchased red wines of the years following carried generic names like Hearty Burgundy and Mountain Red. These generic wines were largely Zinfandel-based, but we were never told. Then came the overwhelming enthusiasm for sweet White Zinfandel that lasted more than a decade. True, red Zinfandel slowly regained its lost ground while many wine lovers were ogling the latest Merlot. We're happy to report that the best Zinfandels ever made are being crafted now. Some are the products of medium-sized wineries especially devoted to this varietal, such as Ravenswood, Ridge, Seghesio, and Rosenblum. But very small family-operated wineries are offering splendid examples, too. Nadeau Family Vintners and Toucan Winery in California's Central Coast region come to mind.

Zinfandel is America's wine. Current styles are big and bold, soft on the tannin, hugely fruity, and increasingly high in alcohol. We've seen many Zinfandels intended as table wines reach more than 16% alcohol and one that came in at 17%. Wines with this depth and concentration might best be served in cordial glasses and enjoyed with a bite of dark chocolate. The average high quality dry Zinfandel on today's market will have an alcohol content of around 14.5%-about a full percentage point above most traditional New World red wines.

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