Zinfully American
By DCist contributor Amy Monroe
There’s no disputing the fierce and even patriotic love of zinfandel among certain members of the American wine-drinking public. Indeed, Carole Migden, a California state senator from San Francisco, introduced a bill in February to make zinfandel California’s official state wine. But following objections from some of the state's makers of chardonnay, merlot, and cabernet sauvignon (all of which earn more sales dollars than zin), lawmakers instead proclaimed zinfandel a "historic" state wine -- lest anyone think it more important than its vinous brethren.
The diluted official nod notwithstanding, many wine writers share Midgen's fervor for the seemingly all-American zinfandel, which was one of the very first grapes to thrive in California more than 100 years ago. On the eve of each and every Independence Day, they rush to anoint it America's wine -- a wine that's an ideal match for Fourth of July barbecues.
Their doing so is a little like claiming that actor Michael J. Fox is really Alex P. Keaton -- the Ohio-born-and-bred, red-blooded-American teenager whom Fox played on Family Ties. Although it may be tempting to equate Fox with APK and zinfandel with a purely American grape, Fox and zinfandel are foreigners who gained fame in the California sun by portraying red-white-and-blue characters. Fox's Canadian heritage is evident to anyone with an Internet connection or a subscription to US Weekly. And although winemakers and wine drinkers long thought that zinfandel was a grape unique to America, ampelographers recently agreed that it most likely hails from Croatia.
Why, then, is zin seemingly always a first-round draft pick when it comes time to break out the barbecue for the Fourth?
Before we tell you why and offer our sipping suggestions, we want to make one thing absolutely clear: zinfandel is a red grape. Zinfandel is not white zinfandel, which was originally the product of a mistake during the vinification process known as a stuck fermentation. Rather, zinfandel is a dry, boldly flavored red wine.
Now, back to zin's predominance this time of year. Americans like zinfandel because the wine is rarely made anywhere else but the United States -- and because it's hard to overcome perceptions that it has American origins. It should come out during barbecue season because its jammy fruit and spice notes match and stand up to barbecue's smoky, tangy flavors. Most important, zinfandel is what it is -- fun to drink and undeniably good.
With that, we offer up three California zinfandel picks for any Fourth fete:
- Ridge Geyserville Zinfandel (Sonoma County) ($30-$35). If you’re looking to impress and willing to drop a little dough, this is the bottle to buy. What do you get for your $30+? In a word, complexity, which can be lacking in a typical straightforward zin. This pour hits all the right notes in the berry and spice departments, plus it delivers extra layers of smoke, mocha, and tar.
- Burford & Brown Zinfandel (Solano County) ($15). The product of an Australian ex-pat now living and working in Cali, this zin is user-friendly and fruit-forward with classic blackberry and raspberry flavors followed by a kick of spice that make it perfect with burgers or steaks on the grill.
- Renwood “Sierra Series” Zinfandel (Amador County) ($10-$12). The Sierra Foothills may very well be the site of the oldest zinfandel vines in California. Why is this good? Older vines generate fruit with very concentrated flavors, and drinkers of Renwood’s reasonably priced zin reap the benefits of the big, jammy fruit flavors in this winning wine.