Real Zinfandel Zinfadel is one of my favorite wines of all time. I’m talking real Zinfandel - the red version. My first inspiration with this grape was the 1987 Gallo Zinfandel, a wine that had a concentration and complexity unimaginable for a grocery store wine. Well, probably not hard to imagine given that ’87 was a great vintage and that the wine was reared by the venerable Julio Gallo, a master technician in the cellar. Zinfandel can be charmingly quaffable, when sipped on its own, because of its wild raspberry profile, but it can also be the ultimate match for barbequed ribs, aged cheeses, Italian dishes, or even salmon. Why do I like ‘zin’ so much? Easy answer, because it’s an incredibly fruity and versatile wine. The Zinfandel grape was brought to California in the late 1800’s by Italian immigrants, who planted vines near their homestead as the source for their ‘house reds’. Most of these Italian settlers were home winemakers, having learned how to make table wine at home from their fathers or grandfathers. Some of the original Zinfandel vines planted in California in the 1890’s and early 1900’s still produce and yield a prized commodity know as ‘old vine zin’. Most of these old vine Zinfandel vineyards are in Sonoma County, but some can be found as far north as Mendocino County and others as far south as Lodi. By Kurt Wieneke, The Wine Guy Indiana Golf Journal
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