Zinfandel
by Brenda Francis

Those who do not know this grape may suffer from the misconception that 'red zin' is the same as the soft, sweet, blush wine called white zinfandel. Those of us who know it, love it. Zinfandel is a spicy red, brimming with ripe berry flavors, sultry tannins, and full-bodied alcohol levels. Fans of zinfandel will opt for a well-crafted glass of this red wine just as quickly as a glass of cabernet sauvignon.
     Zinfandel has an identity that is unique to the United States in that it has no other wine to measure itself against. The Italian version of this grape, primitivo, is grown in massive quantities, rarely being bottled as anything more than a quaffable, everyday wine. In California however, zinfandel is gaining stature and is being produced in ways usually reserved for grapes of noble standing, like cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir. Zinfandel is often grown as a lower yield grape, which produces better quality wines. It can be aged in expensive oak barrels and stand a few years in a collector's cellar with impressive results. Old zinfandel vines are cherished for their densely fruity flavors and mineral tones, even though their output is a fraction of a younger vine.
     Zinfandel's roots have been traced to Apulia, Italy, where it is called primitivo. According to research at University of California, Davis, the trail to zinfandel's roots doesn't end in the sunny southern reaches of Italy. An ancient grape call crjenak, found across the Adriatic Sea to the east in Croatia, is thought to be this grape's ancestor. Regardless of where zinfandel got its start, this grape is viewed as the only variety unique to the United States. There is no other area anywhere in the world that produces zinfandel with the kind of distinction as it receives in the United States.
     Because its berries differ in size, zinfandel ripens unevenly. This forces vineyard managers to choose between harvesting the ripe berries with some under-ripe berries or waiting and harvesting the ripe with the over-ripe. Either method is a balancing act against time. Some growers remedy this problem by harvesting only the perfectly ripe berries over a few weeks in several sweeps, which adds to the cost of the wine. A zinfandel that has under-ripe berries has a detectable flavor of green pepper, while over-ripe berries produce the unmistakable raisin-like flavor. A touch of green pepper or raisin adds an interesting facet, yet the method of crushing only the ripe fruit produces a very rich wine. For the zinfandel drinker, the balance between style and budget is a tricky thing, but surveying the choices is lip smacking good work.