From my earliest wine drinking days I have always loved Zinfandel. Not all Zinfandels mind you, but those that are balanced and well-made from fruit grown in old and well- situated vineyards. And, it was not always the case that everyone loved Zinfandel and still may be the case today.
I say that because I am reminded of an incident from years ago. It was in the time when we did tastings for the old Underground. We would accumulate the wines we wanted to taste Cabernets, Chardonnays, Bordeaux, etc. Then we would send notices to our list of tasters as to the theme, time, location and cost. And after each tasting we would announce the theme of our next tasting.
One night I announced that our next tasting would be Zinfandels. Who wants to drink that stuff? However, its origins go back to vines that existed in Croatia and Italy in the 19 th century.
Vines arrived on the East Coast in the early 19 th century. The name Zinfandel existed in various forms at that time and is of uncertain origin. The vines came to California during the time of the gold rush. In California, Zinfandel was widely planted in field blends with other varieties.
By the end of the 19 th century, Zinfandel was well-established in California. The wines made from these vines were the basis of many of the jug wines that were made in the very early days before and after prohibition. During prohibition many of the old Zinfandel vineyards were taken out. Then came the late harvest craze of the s when alcoholic, port-like Zinfandels became the rage. Fortunately this trend was short lived, but it created a terrible over supply of Zinfandel grapes.
