This week our new sommelier, Anne Malhere, will be sharing interesting facts, tips, tricks and opinions on American wine. – Paul Heathcote
Zinfandel – the American grape
Almost everybody has heard of Zinfandel, especially white Zinfandel, but what is it? Don’t presume it’s just a type of sweet blush wine.
It is a red grape variety that has been popularised by Californian winemakers. It creates a very powerful, robust red wine with notes of red berries when grown in cooler climates and dark berries, pepper and liquorice in warmer climates.
You might not be aware of it, but as with most things in the USA, Zinfandel’s roots are European. DNA research has shown that it is genetically similar to the Croatian grapes Crljenak Kaštelanski and Tribidrag as well as the Italian grape Primitivo – the traditional grape variety of Puglia.
Zinfandel wines are generally excellent and some of them can be quite expensive. For me, the best producer of Zinfandel wines are Ridge, Turley and Grgich, but for great value you should look to Seghesio Family Vineyards where you can get a bottle of Zinfandel for £10-15.
One of the best things about Zinfandel wines is that they’re food friendly. You can drink them with meat, poultry, pasta, pizza or on their own with friends for a drink after work. Try the red – it’ll make you forget about the white!
Our next wine event takes place on July 3rd: just in time for Independence day we have an American winelist from Colin Burbidge and American-influenced menu devised by Paul Heathcote and Carl Noller. You can view the details by clicking here.
Enjoy and cheers!
-Anne Malhere
Follow Anne on Twitter – @anne_malhere
