Zinfandel Is America’s Wine With A Love For Barbecue
Zinfandel is the only grape variety and wine that we Americans can call our own.
Zinfandel The Grape
Zinfandel Is America’s Wine With A Love For Barbecue. It is the only grape variety and wine that we Americans can call our own. Every grape variety that is made into wine in North America was brought over from other countries, except zinfandel. Or so we thought for years. Why? Because we made it into a great wine. Then later Sutter Home made it into a rose style, which we call white zinfandel. It still flies off the shelves and has become so popular that many think it’s a white grape. LOL. In reality, it’s a red grape. The white version is made by crushing the red grapes and leaving the skins in for just a short while to give it a pink color.
Lineage of Zinfandel Wine
Years later, DNA testing proved it was the same as an Italian grape called primitivo. Ouch! Then further testing showed it originated in Croatia! But nonetheless, we took the grape as our own, and made it into something that never existed beforehand. And we made red zinfandels that will knock your socks off! So it’s still our grape as far as I am concerned.
Zinfandel Recommendations
One of my favorites is Alexander Valley Vineyards. They make what they call a weekend package consisting of 3 different bottles. It consists of Temptation Zin, Sin Zin and RedemptionZin to drink Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Also, they have a dessert wine called Salvation Zin. I love their sense of humor which is consistent with most zinfandel producers, therefore they get a free pass to make silly names and labels. My favorite is Ravenswood Winery, created by Joel Peterson. They make several different versions. My favorite is their one from Lodi, CA. These wines can range from easy to drink, light styles to powerful and dense fruity styles. They are PERFECT for barbecued meats and burgers or for just sitting back and relaxing. This is another reason why Zinfandel Is America’s Wine With A Love For Barbecue.
Caution!!! Zinfandel Wine Warning
Zinfandels are the highest in alcohol so be careful until you get used to them. The bottle will usually say 14.5% alcohol, but they have to put that to avoid extra taxation placed on beverages of 15% or higher. The problem is that each grape can have different amounts of sugar, which turns into ethyl alcohol. This is uncommon with other varieties. When the winery tests the sugar levels, they can be fooled. The reality is you won’t know how much until you drink it. LOL.
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