Zin… zinfan… zinfandel? Never heard of this grape variety? Don’t be surprised, it’s normal, we don’t grow it in France. Indeed, this grape variety is quite widespread in the Californian vineyards, particularly in the Central Valley of California.

Origins of Zinfandel

According to genetic analyses carried out in 1993 by Professor Carole Meredith at the University of California, Davis, Zinfandel has the same genetic characteristics as Primitivo (an Italian grape variety) and are clones of the same grape variety. Zinfandel is also genetically very close to the Croatian variety
crljenak kaštelanski
which has been growing in the country for thousands of years.

Today, in the everyday language of winemakers and oenologists, Zinfandel, Primitivo and
crljenak kaštelanski
are synonymous and in fact represent the same grape varieties established in different geographical regions.

Originally grown to produce table grapes in the United States, it is now used exclusively to make wine.

Distribution, properties and use

Today, Zinfandel accounts for 10% of California’s vineyards, and until the late 1990s, it was the most widely planted black grape variety in the region. It’s a grape that tolerates heat well, which is why it’s planted in San Joaquin, Fresno and Madera counties. It is also planted in cooler regions such as Napa, Mendocino, Sonoma and San Luis Obispo counties.

Mainly grown in California’s Central Valley, Zinfandel is mainly used to produce a semi-sweet rosé called white zinfandel. This type of wine was discovered by chance following a winemaking error by producer Sutter Home in the mid-1970s. Today, sales of white zinfandel are six times those of red zinfandel.

Zinfandel reds generally offer a bouquet of red fruits, blackberries, aniseed and black pepper. The color is often dark and deep, with alcohol levels frequently exceeding 14.5%. The variety is often used in blends with Bordeaux varieties such as Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon… or with Syrah.

Between the late 1990s and early 2000s, Zinfandel-based red wines gained a certain popularity in the United States, sometimes even becoming “cult” wines produced in limited quantities, with prices sometimes reaching those of Bordeaux or Burgundy grands crus.

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