Zinfandel
History and Origin
Zinfandel is a varietal with origins that are not 100% settled as of yet. There is an ongoing debate about it that has been shifting periodically as more research is done. Initially it was thought to have been introduced to Italy in the late 1800s after the United States in the early 1800s. This changed when DNA research was done and the wine was matched to Crljenak Kastelanski (Kastela Red) in Croatia. It now is believed that the wine came to Italy around the early 1700s. Croatia, though, is currently considered the oldest location to have the wine, of course this may change in the future as more work is done to trace the lineage.
Growing Conditions
Zinfandel is a grape that ripens fairly early and does well in warm climates. However due to their thin skin, they do not fair so well in hot climates and with the tight clusters can be prone to bunch rot. Zinfandel grapes can often ripen in an uneven manner with some grapes being green while others are over-ripe.
Synonyms
There are quite a few synonyms for the Zinfandel grape such as Pribidrag, Tribidrag, and Crljenak Kastelanski in Croatia, Primitivo in Italy, Plavac Valiki, Primaticcio, Uva Della Pergola, and Taranto. Some older spellings such as Zinfindel, Zinfandal, Zinfindal, etc still circulate depending on the region.
Color
Zinfandel is usually a deep blood red, inky or almost black in color.
Smell
Depending on if the wine was made more full-bodied or lighter will determine what smell dominate. Here are some of the smells generally found; blackberries, dark fruit, briar, licorice, nettle, cinnamon, black pepper, raspberry, cranberry, and black cherry.
Taste
Zinfandel has a variety of different berry flavors such as boysenberry, raspberry, and blackberry which are accompanied with pepper, herbs, and spices. You will often taste more berry in wine cultivated from cooler climates, and blackberry, anise, and pepper in wine cultivated from warmer climates. Again, the style of the wine, whether full or light, will determine the taste.
Good With The Following Foods
Zinfandels go best with big foods such as barbecue ribs, barbecue chicken etc or burgers and steak. Lighter foods are not usually great pairings as they can easily be overpowered by Zinfandel.
Serving Temperature
Zinfandel has the potential to be a lighter or full-bodied wine. For the lighter Zins, a temperature of 57-62F is recommended. For the heavier ones, 62-67F is ideal.
