What's the Best Wine Zinfandel?

Yes, I get asked this question.  I usually say "Close your eyes and pick one."  They are all the same junk.

Here is an article I wrote several years ago to get my last blogging gig:

In case you didn’t know, the Zinfandel grape is red.  That’s right, red.  Really red.  Not pink at all.  It is very bold, rich, and intense, with a spicy flavor and strong, jammy fruit texture and is a native grape to California.  White Zinfandel is made from the red Zinfandel grape.  It is not white as the name suggests, but the pink drink that many people are accustomed to.

However, and unfortunately so, what most Americans know as Zinfandel is White Zinfandel. According to Sutter Home, one out of every four bottles of wine opened in the United States is White Zinfandel.  White Zinfandel is actually a very recent development. It was invented in 1975 at the Sutter Home winery in San Francisco, California as a by- product of an experiment. In truth, it was a mistake.  The wine-maker was attempting to create a richer red Zinfandel, so he drew off some of the (white) juice before it had a chance to acquire the red color, in hopes that reducing the free run juice would concentrate the remainder. Not having anything to do with the extra juice, he made it as a rosé wine.  Rather than throwing out the wine that amounted to 8,000 cases of wine, the winemaker slapped on a new label, called it White Zinfandel and sold it as a novelty wine.  To their surprise, it became very popular very quickly, and within a couple of decades, White Zinfandel, made intentionally, became Sutter Home's primary production.

As a result, White Zinfandel now outpaces red Zinfandel production by orders of magnitude. In fact, it is the second highest selling varietal wine in the United States, after Chardonnay. It tends to be light and sweet, the closest thing in the wine world to soda or fruit punch, and is nothing like the rich and lively red Zinfandel. It’s fruity sweetness appeals to many Americans, especially women.

You can usually spot a White “Zin” drinker a mile away.  It is usually a woman who thinks she is very sophisticated, but she really has no clue.  I’ve seen this scenario a million times.  You’ve seen them before, too.  They saunter up to the bar and order a glass of White “Zin”.  (Wine connoisseurs may want to proceed with caution).  The bartender pulls out a jug-o-wine, fills the glass and to my horror adds ice! 

If you are reading this and have identified yourself as one of these “sophisticates”, try branching out and trying some quality wines that were made on purpose.  Ask for a Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc.  Ok, so I admit, I used to be one of the “sophisticates”.  I’ve come a long way and so can you.  Take the journey with me and expand your horizons.

Now, I'm fairly certain that Moscato is outpacing sales. At least in my store it is!

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