WSJ ON WINE: The Power and Punch of Zinfandel

Jay McInerney writes about Zinfandel and ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates & Producers) in the January 15, 2011 print edition of the Wall Street Journal.

Check out the article HERE.

It's not really a column about ZAP, although it uses ZAP's 20th anniversary events in San Francisco (January 27-29 ... more information HERE) as a springboard into the story of Zinfandel's rise as a significant red varietal wine from California. Although Zinfandel has a long history in the Golden State, its prominence on wine labels dates pretty much from the 1970s, when winemakers began focusing on old vine versions of the varietal, just as White Zinfandel was being invented by Sutter Home (according to McInerney this was a saignée process ... draining off some red wine juice after only brief contact with the skins, to concentrate the red by increasing the skin to juice ration ... a process that also delivers juice to make a lightly colored pink wine which, in this story of Sutter Home stopped fermenting with some residual sugar and initiated the White Zinfandel phenomena, as a byproduct of a red zinfandel focused production decision).

Sorry about that side-trip. McInerney writes about significant winemakers in the development of California Zinfandel since the 1970s, including discussion of "The Three Rs" -- Ridge, Ravenswood, Rosenblum.

This column is a pretty good primer on the creation of modern Zinfandel, and is well-worth a look if you're interested in getting more context for my favorite grape.

DAH is David Anthony Hance at ZinSite.com and SteampunkWines.com

 

Comments

[Jaki]

I'll vote for Hendry, George makes some great Zins, it's definitely his psisaon and it shows in his wines (and it's a terrific winery to visit). My second place Napa Valley Zin maker goes to a winery you may not have heard of, Maroon Wines

[Andrea]

Damn, I wish I could think of soemthnig smart like that!