All American Wine
by Leslie-Ann Sheppard
owner of The Cellar on Surfside Road.
With Independence Day upon us, it is certainly appropriate to celebrate the pioneering spirit of our great country by toasting with a glass of wine that is truly American: Zinfandel.
Zinfandel is a red grape varietal that has an interesting story behind it. Historians can trace its genetic roots to the ancient grape ‘Crljenak Kastelanski’ or ‘Plavac Mali’ – different Croatian names for the grape linked to our Zinfandel. More commonly, Zinfandel is traced to the grape Primitivo, a native Italian grape still grown all over Italy’s South. But it is here, in the United States, that the Zinfandel grape has thrived and attained global respect. But that too has been a storied road.
The Zinfandel grape was introduced to California by a botanist from Massachusetts—Frederick Macondray. He is said to have brought Zinfandel to the gold coast between 1835 and 1845. At that time, the area was experiencing an influx of immigrants settling in the northern part of California’s coast: today’s Sonoma and Napa Valleys. Many of these immigrants were skilled farmers, and some had even grown grapes in their native lands. Some Italian settlers, upon finding that Zinfandel had been introduced to the area, decided to plant their land with this hearty vine that resembled a grape they’d worked with in the past.
Zinfandel vines are easily discernable from other vines. The roots burrow deep into the ground and the plant grows more like a small fruit tree than a vine. They have short, very sturdy, gnarled trunks and can stand alone without the use of wire or wood to train the vines. The ‘trunks’ grow thicker and sturdier with age. They are the linebackers among quarterbacks in the vineyards.
This structure is one reason for the success of planting Zinfandel in California in the 1850s and beyond. After the gold rush, wire and wood materials used to train other grape vines weren’t in plentiful supply, and Zinfandel vines didn’t need them. At this time Zinfandel became the most widely planted grape in California. Quite an accomplishment for an ‘odd-ball’ grape, different from most of the other grapes widely planted which were largely based on the French varietals like Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir.
Today when aficionados think of their beloved Zinfandel wine, they most likely think of its flavors and texture. Zinfandel tends to be a concentrated, full bodied red that has ripe strawberry, blackberry, and raspberry flavors. Some growers go for maximum extraction, letting their Zinfandel grapes ripen to high sugar levels that can then translate into a high alcohol wine. If the wine doesn’t get too ‘hot,’ meaning too perceptibly and obviously alcoholic, it can be smooth, luscious, and luxurious. Zinfandel wines usually have lower tannins than say, Cabernet Sauvignon. They are more fruit-forward than earthy.
The uninitiated may unfortunately think of the uninteresting pink wine also made from the Zinfandel grape, and the ‘craze’ started in the 1970s—an attempt of bulk wine producers like Sutter Home and Beringer to profit from the slow-moving sales of Zinfandel. Instead of using it as a blending grape like many other wineries, these ‘pioneers’ made ‘White Zinfandel’ — rosé wine made from Zinfandel, displaying sweet notes and none of the depth and character that is Zinfandel. White Zinfandel is still produced today, and is regarded by many as a wine for non-wine drinkers. In an early wine memory of my own that probably goes back to college and days of Bartles & James wine coolers, I recall drinking White Zinfandel with ice and a squeeze of lime. And this, in my mind, is how it should be drunk, if you insist. It is not to be swirled around the glass, aerated in the mouth, and discussed over time and a cheese plate.
But I digress. Thankfully, some California wineries have chosen the Zinfandel grape as their flagship. The ‘Three R’s’—Ridge, Rosenblum, and Ravenswood—are credited with putting Zinfandel on the global wine radar, producing wines that are every bit as serious as the esteemed Bordeaux, and California’s ‘other’ dignified grape varietal, Cabernet Sauvignon. These three wineries, also in the 1970s, assumed a dedicated approach to Zinfandel, and began bottling single-varietal wines. They found Zinfandel to provide lots of pleasure on its own, and that it was capable of displaying very complex flavors.
Today, all three ‘R’s’ still make fine Zinfandel wines. Ridge is arguably more famous for its award-winning Cabernet blend, ‘Montebello,’ and they also make high quality Chardonnay. But their Zinfandel blends are more attainable for most consumers than the expensive Montebello, and they are, overall, excellent. My favorite bottling of theirs perennially is the Lytton Springs. Ravenswood has gone from a boutique winery to being one of the larger producers in California, now corporate-owned. One of the positives of this corporate buy-out is that prices have dropped and the wine is certainly palatable. Rosenblum has also sold out, but still produces lots of jammy Zinfandel from many different California appellations.
If smaller, more boutique Zinfandel is what you seek, there are many. Turley is one of the more famous names, with winemaker Helen Turley fashioning ‘Zins’ that are sleek, heavily extracted, and delicious. T-Vine is much smaller and hard to find, but excellent. Quivera and Mueller are worth a splash. Four Vines makes a quaffable and great value basic Zin, and then several higher end, more cultish bottlings that are quite good. Orin Swift’s ‘The Prisoner’ is a Zinfandel blend that scores 90 points from super-critic Robert Parker (who historically favors big, rich wines like Zinfandel). Seghesio and Coturri are some of the earlier growers of Zinfandel still dedicated to it decades later, and producing high quality Zin.
Though a heavier red, Zinfandel pairs well with summer barbeque foods. Sometimes a little spicy, pairing Zins with smoked ribs or grilled rib-eye steaks can be a wonderful combination. Or simple hamburgers and hot dogs warm right up to cozy Zin. Or just sip it on its own on a foggy Nantucket night. Many of them don’t need food.
In that spirit, just enjoy a wine that embodies the pioneering character of our country. Cheers to independence!
