Photo courtesy of Peter Griffith and Ravenswood Zinfandel is immensely successful and popular for all levels of wine from blends to fresh, light versions and to galumphing sticky blackstrap. The best have excellent balance, a lively raspberry flavor and seem to mature indefinitely. --Hugh Johnson, Wine Writer

Grapes in Gondola Photo courtesy of Segeshio Family Vineyards

Zinfandel Vineyard Photo courtesy of Segeshio Family Vineyards

Zinfandel is California’s contribution to the world of wine. It generates an enthusiasm that captures our pioneering spirit in a bottle. Zinfandel has become synonymous with California in the world wine market for historical and winemaking reasons. Blazing a Path

Old Vine with Grapes Photo courtesy of Segeshio Family Vineyards

Zinfandel is thought to be one of the oldest grape varietals from which wine is still being made. The grape used in making Zinfandel wine in America is of European origin but History does not clearly delineate its migratory route. Roots Run Deep.

One well-documented route of Zinfandel to California indicates that the grape came from an Austrian collection and was later transported west during the Gold Rush of the 1840s where it surged in popularity when miners wanted a substantial beverage and growers hoped for a grape that would provide a healthy and voluminous crop. Roots Run Deep.

Zinfandel Vine with Grapes Photo courtesy of Segeshio Family Vineyards

Zinfandel is imported to a Long Island nursery. Boston nursery owner Samuel Perkins advertises the Zinfandel vine for sale. The linguistic origin of the name “Zinfandel” is established in the United States Historical Highlights.

Zinfandel vines are introduced to California and planted widely throughout the state Historical Highlights.

Zinfandel is the most widely planted variety during California’s first wine boom Historical Highlights.

California’s vineyards are destroyed by phylloxera. Some Zinfandel vines survive because they were planted on resistant rootstock or are isolated from the disease Historical Highlights.

California vineyards are replanted. Zinfandel is the most widely planted varietal until the 1970s Historical Highlights.

Zinfandel is once more established as California’s number one red wine varietal Historical Highlights.

Tub Dump Photo courtesy of Segeshio Family Vineyards

All other significant wine varieties have their reference points in Europe, but Zinfandel created its own tradition in California and is considered America’s Heritage Wine. Each bottle reflects the personality of the region in which it is grown.

Bold and celebratory, independent and unpretentious, versatile and individual, Zinfandel has charted a course of its own, epitomizing the “new world.” Experimentation in the vineyards and wineries has led to a wine that emphasizes the forward, rich, ripe fruit that California Zinfandel delivers in abundance.

Home Ranch Old Vine Photo courtesy of Segeshio Family Vineyards

Unmistakable flavors create a distinct quality. The character of a Zinfandel, like that of any fine wine, is largely determined by the terroir, or taste of the soil, in which the grapes are grown. Ideally, Zinfandel is dry-farmed in exceptional locations, using a special trellising system that allows for light penetration and airflow. Zinfandel requires a long growing season in a warm region.

Characteristics of the wine vary from region to region, but there is a constant with most Zinfandels: A rich, up-front core of fruit, exotic spice, and an unmistakable white or black pepper note that is not just a flavor, but a sensation

ZAP commissioned UC Davis Professor Ann Nobel to create the Zinfandel Aroma Wheel.

The most frequently cited characteristics of Zinfandel are aromas and flavors of: blackberry, raspberry, boysenberry, and cherry, often laced with black pepper, cloves, anise, and herbs. Rich styles of Zinfandel wines might have several layers of flavors.

Grapes, including the clone of the Zinfandel Growing location and elevation. Age of the vines. Pruning method and subsequent crop level. Ripeness of the grapes at harvest. Weather during harvest year. Type of fermentation. Type of oak barrels used. Flavors and aromas in a wine are determined by a number of factors: Photo courtesy of Peter Griffith and Ravenswood

Grapes in Hand Photo courtesy of Segeshio Family Vineyards

Most of today’s Zinfandel table wine is produced from grapes picked at the optimum balance of sugar and acid to yield wines over 13% alcohol. Extended skin contact during fermentation and aging in fine oak barrels generally produces wine with an intensely fruity character, plus the balance and complexity expected of fine wines.

Blush wines are produced from red Zinfandel grapes, when the juice is separated from the skins and seeds after crushing, and are then fermented like white wine. Photo courtesy of Peter Griffith and Ravenswood

Light, spicy, berry-flavored red wines are produced from less mature red Zinfandel grapes that receive little or no barrel aging. Photo courtesy of Peter Griffith and Ravenswood

Bigger, rounder, richer Zinfandels contain alcohol above the 14% range and are normally produced from very ripe to slightly overripe grapes. These wines are full of jammy extract in both bouquet and flavor. Photo courtesy of Peter Griffith and Ravenswood

Late harvest Zinfandel is produced from very overripe grapes, yielding unusually concentrated wines with an alcohol content over 15%, sometimes with noticeable residual sugar. Photo courtesy of Peter Griffith and Ravenswood

Zinfandel port is a fortified wine usually produced from mature or very ripe grapes. Photo courtesy of Segeshio Family Vineyards

Gnarly Old Vine Zinfandel Photo courtesy of Segeshio Family Vineyards

The producers of Zinfandel are as individualistic as the wine itself, and just as approachable, so we encourage you to experiment with the many styles of wine, made from this multi-faceted, food-friendly grape. This may mean sampling wines from many regions, certain wineries, certain vintages, or even Zinfandel blended with other grapes. And it certainly will mean tasting Zinfandel with a variety of foods, from the traditional leg of lamb to chocolate cake!

Bringing together scientists, farmers, artists and historians: Originally established at the UC Davis Research Station in the Napa Valley The Heritage Vineyard is an unprecedented collection of rare And famous Zinfandel vine cuttings grown throughout California. The vines have been grafted onto St. George rootstock and each vine is head trained and spur pruned into the “goblet” shape as they Would have been in the nineteenth century, replicating the conditions that gave Zinfandel its reputation. Each year ZAP selects a distinguished winery member to craft a unique Zinfandel vintage from the Heritage Vineyard which is available for tasting at many ZAP events and is available for purchase during the Zinfandel Festival.

The Heritage Vineyard is a vibrant “on-growing” museum of the grape. For consumers the vineyard is a living history and provides an easily accessible demonstration of where Zinfandel is really made – in the vineyard. For the wine industry it represents a resource for future plantings of Zinfandel with a broad range of selections. As of 2009, the cumulative contribution to support the Heritage Vineyard has passed the $350,000 milestone-the largest grant coming from an independent organizations focused on one specific wine grape varietal. It is widely believed this effort could have more impact on the improvement of Zinfandel than any other research. Visit zinfandel.org to view ZAP’s resource guide for additional information about the Heritage Vineyard Project.

Real Zinfandel, the red wine, is the quintessential California wine. It has been used for blending with Other grapes, including Cabernet and Petite Sirah. It has been made in a claret style, with berry and cherry flavors, mild tannins and pretty oak shadings. It has been made into late-harvest and Port- style wines that feature very ripe, raisiny flavors, alcohol above 15% and chewy tannins. --Jancis Robinson, Wine Writer

Zinfandel Vineyard Photo courtesy of Segeshio Family Vineyards