 Zinfandel is a red grape which has the same DNA of the italian Primitivo, a variety especially grown in Puglia region. The first evidence of a relation between these two grapes came from Austin Goheen of the University of California Davis in 1967. He has been the first to recognize similarities between Italian Primitivo and California's Zinfandel.
Later on Wade Wolf, a graduate student at the same University, confirmed this fact in 1976 at a meeting of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture. However, it was just in 1994 that the real evidence came to light: Carole Meredith, also of UC Davis, confirmed after a DNA fingerprinting that these two varieties are genetically identical. After further studies, it has been discovered that the country of origin of this grape is not Italy, but Croatia or Greece. In fact Zinfandel, or Primitivo, has another genetic clone: the Croatian Crljenak kastelanski which is the fahter of another grape, Plavac Mali.
Regardless the origin of this grape, history says that it has been named Primitivo in Italy by Benedictine monks in the 17th century because of its early ripening. This grape has been introduced in the United States at the end of the 1820s by nurseryman George Gibbs which imported vines from Imperial Collection in Vienna. In 1832 Samuel Perkins, a Boston nursery owner started selling Zinfandel vines. This variety has been introduced in California somewhere between 1852 and 1857 by Macondary, and by Osborn & Boggs nursery to Napa and Sonoma Valley.
Since the 1850s Zinfandel has been very popular in all the United States and today California has over 50,000 acres planted under this vine. This makes Zinfandel the second most planted grape variety after Cabernet Sauvignon and just before Merlot. Other states are planting Zinfandel as well, especially Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Zinfandel has achieved popularity when it started to be vinified in a rosé-sweet style. The resulting commercial name was "White Zinfandel", a variety which in the real world does not exist.
Zinfandel is adaptable to many different climates and its vines are vigorous, high-yielding and resistant to many diseases. For this reason, it is easy to find very old vineyards, 70 to 100 years, less productive but with special characteristics. The bunches are very compact and the berries are thin-skinned. Zinfandel is sometimes susceptible to rot and raisining. In fact it is fairly common to find in the same cluster green and raisined berries. Except for the infimous rosé version, Zinfandel can be vinified as a complex red wine suitable for ageing or even as a very rich and alcoholic Port-style wine. A classic Zin is usually deeply-colored, fruity, rich and fresh. Main aromas include raspberry and cranberry, however, according to the vinification process, harvesting time and climate, other aromas can be perceived. Notes of blackberry, black cherry, cinnamon and licorice are quite common in medium to full-bodied Zinfandels. If the wine is aged, the bouquet will most likely include notes of vanilla, musk, mushrooms and oak. |
