Zinfandel

\Zin-fahn-DELL\ (Italian) The Zinfandel grape has been grown in the United States since at least the 1830’s. It was first exhibited at a gathering of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and by the 1860's the Zinfandel Grape had found its way to California. By the 1880's it was widely planted and highly valued for the bumper crops of grapes it produced.

Zinfandel vines were DNA tested in the early 1990’s to determine their origins. The tests revealed that the Zinfandel vine was directly related to the Primitivo grape which can be found in Southern Italy. In 2001 it was concluded that the Zinfandel grape and the Crljenak grape (which is indigenous to Croatia) are one and the same.

Wherever it originally hails from, Zinfandel was an American classic from the start, especially in California. In fact, before Prohibition, Zinfandel was California's most popular and successful variety. During prohibition, Zinfandel remained popular with Northern California's home wine makers, but fell out of favor on the East Coast because Zinfandel's was susceptible to rot on the slow train rides to Eastern home wine makers.

Zinfandel seems to produce grapes of the best quality in California’s cooler North Coast region. Cool nights, foggy mornings, and hot sunny afternoons allow the grapes to mature slowly and retain their natural fruit acidity even as they gain in sugar content. This is important, because Zinfandel grapes are notorious for ripening very unevenly. Zinfandel favors hillside planting, as good drainage is essential. If the vines absorb too much water from the ground after a rain, the grapes will swell and some will burst, or the cluster may ferment from inside out while still on the vine.

Older Zinfandel vines are much prized for their depth of flavor in the production of the highest quality wines (often referred to as “old vine zin”). Younger vines are often used to make that summer refresher, White Zinfandel.