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Select a starting letter for a grape variety
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Zinfandel |
The great American success story, though not
indigenous to the United States as was once
thought. Zinfandel is actually the Croatian
grape Crjlenak that is thought to have been
transported to the U.S. in the early 1800s as
part of the Royal Austrian Plant Species
Collection. It is in the U.S. that Zinfandel has
found a home, becoming synonymous with both full
and flavorful red wines, and fruity and often
sweet rosés. Zinfandel became famous around the
turn of the 20th century as a productive
varietal grown by many a miner or Italian
immigrant. In fact, some of the most famous
spots in Napa and Sonoma were covered with
Zinfandel vines. As the century wore on red Zin
lost favor and was used as a base for 'jug'
wines until White Zin was created. At first a
rosé made from a short maceration (skin-contact)
time, White Zin became a driving force in the
American market as a sweet and fruity pink wine
often times made by blending white and red wines
together. Today Zinfandel is rapidly gaining
popularity as a full and rich red with notes of
pepper and spices. Deep black fruits, violets
and often 'brambly notes are also common in
Zinfandel. Due to its high sugar levels when
ripe, high levels of alcohol are also common,
sometimes to a fault. Thought productive,
Zinfandel can also be difficult to grow in
cooler climates as uneven bunch ripening can be
a problem. The best area for Zinfandel is in
California's Dry Creek Valley, though it can be
found in almost every warm weather area of the
state. Counties such as Amador, Sonoma, San
Jaoquin and more all produce excellent
Zinfandel. The Italian varietal Primitivo was
once thought to be identical to Zinfandel,
though it is now known to be a close relative
and also a descendant of Crjlenak, as is Plavac
Mali. Primitivo, however, can be found
throughout southern Italy and is so similar to
Zinfandel that the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco and Firearms is considering a proposal
to allow Italian Primitivo to be sold in the
U.S. as Zinfandel, much to the dismay of
Zinfandel producers. For more on Zinfandel check
out http://www.zinfandel.org/.
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Zweigelt |
Despite being bred from a crossing of
Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent in 1922, Zweigelt
is now the most widely planted red grape in
Austria. Hardy, vigorous and productive,
Zweigelt (or Blauer Zweigelt and Rotburger as it
is also known) buds late and ripens early, which
are very useful traits in the cool Austrian
growing regions. Though it is at its best when
yields are low, Zweigelt can be counted on to
consistently produce medium bodied reds that
have a nice mix of currants, herbs and tannins.
From better sites and low yields some very rich
and tannic reds can be produced that can take
well to both barrel and bottle aging. \r\n\r\nZweigelt
can be found throughout Austria, as well in the
cool regions around the Great Lakes in North
America. This grape does so well in cooler
climates that there have been some plantings in
England and Germany, with moderate success. |
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