You''ve probably been to a party or dinner and noticed that a number of people swear by their "white zin." That''s a shortened version of "white Zinfandel," a wine that''s actually not white.
In fact, Zinfandel can be a deep red color, but that version is called Primitivo.
Confused? Let''s untangle those vines for you.
Zinfandel has a long and storied history not just in the United States, but in Europe where it originated. In Croatia, the type of fruit we call the Zinfandel grape is known as Crljenak Kaötelanski. In the 1800s, a plague wiped out almost all of the Crljenak Kaötelanski vines, leaving just a hardy few on the Dalmatian coast.
The Italians also lay claim to the Crljenak Kaötelanski grapes, but they call them Primitivo. Puglia, the portion of Italy most associate with the ''heel'' of the boot-shaped country, boasts the vineyards that grow Primitivo grapes and therefore the vintners who produce Primitivo wine.
Historians don''t know exactly when Primitivo grapes arrived in Italy, but the first mention of them that''s been found in literature was published in the 1870s. Still, word-of-mouth has it that the grapes were first planted in Italy during the 1700s, and named primitivo because they bloomed early in the year (''primo'' means ''early'' in Italian).
The Zinfandel grape is first mentioned in American records during the 1820s. Some think that its name comes from a Hungarian word for a different kind of grape entirely, and that labels must have been switched accidentally during shipping.
During the California gold rush, Zinfandel grapes made it to the American West Coast. By the end of the 1800s, Zinfandel grapes were the most-produced type in California. Eventually, most forgot the origins of Zinfandel, considering it an American vine, until the late 1960s, when several people noticed the similarity in taste between Primitivo wines and Zinfandel. Eventually DNA fingerprinting confirmed what taste buds had suspected: they are made from the same variety of grape.
Zinfandel and Primitivo wines both were traditionally robust red, with a high (15 percent) alcohol content. During Prohibition and then the Great Depression, however, Zinfandel production sank so low that it was generally used to add to fortified wines.
In 1972, Bob Trinchero had a batch of wine at the Sutter Home winery experience ''stuck fermentation.'' In other words, for most wines yeast must survive long enough to turn all the fruit sugar into alcohol; for this batch, the yeast died before all the sugar was transformed.
Trinchero waited two weeks, tasted the pink wine, and then decided to sell it anyway as a medium sweet ''blush'' product. It became very popular and saved many Zinfandel vines from being uprooted, so that when Zinfandel red came back into fashion later there were plenty of grapes to produce the wine.
Red Zinfandel has sometimes been criticized as having too much alcohol. It does have a very robust flavor. Modern wine production methods have made it easier to drink, however. It has some strawberry flavors when it''s fully ripened.
If it''s allowed to ripen further, it develops cherry flavors, then blackberry notes. Zinfandel from the Napa Valley tends to have raspberry flavors; Zinfandel originating in warmer Sonoma County tends to have more blackberry, anise and pepper notes. Its color is most often described as ''deep garnet.''
White Zinfandel, on the other hand, is sweet, sometimes too sweet, according to critics. More recent productions have more of a fruit flavor and less of the sticky sweetness of the original product, however. Some have fruit juices added directly to the bottle to produce new tastes. It isn''t as popular as it once was in the United States, but it still outsells red Zinfandel six to one. Despite its name, the wine is actually pink.
Usually, wine experts agree that there are no hard-and-fast rules about wine and food pairings. The most steadfast rule is, ''Drink what you like.'' However, some people have enjoyed pairing white Zinfandel with seafood pasta dishes with cream sauces, pizza, mild cheeses, couscous, Indian food, desserts, egg dishes, lamb and appetizers.
Because of red Zinfandel''s heartier taste, it holds up well with strong-flavored foods, such as spicy dishes, gamey meats and Asian cuisine. Sometimes people like to drink it with traditionally American food like hamburgers. The best thing to do is experiment with abandon. You''re sure to find your likes along the way!