Zin the Mood

All-American holidays call for all-American wines.

by Peter Burwasser

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Published: Nov 13, 2007

wine

Even the most traditional Thanksgiving meal presents challenges for wine matching. When the menu morphs due to diverse cultural inputs (lasagna at the Italian gathering; a nice brisket for a Jewish family; a zesty tom yum soup to start in the Thai household), there's only one happy solution — serve lots of different wine and hope for the best. Heck, bring on the beer and whiskey, and hide the car keys.

But there is one wine that ought to be standard fare for this great American holiday, and it is Zinfandel. The origins of the vine are not clear; for years, it was thought to be a relative to Primitivo, a gutsy Southern Italian variety, but more recent research points to a Croatian origin. One thing is clear — Zinfandel is now an all-American wine, as the grape is planted and fermented almost exclusively here, and almost exclusively in California at that.

The style of making Zinfandel has evolved over the years from aggressively spicy and hot (high in alcohol) to tamer, more food-friendly profiles, making the wine more appealing to the connoisseur class. This, despite wine marketers who cannot resist goofy names (we have two such examples in our tasting; there are many more) and the confusion between the red wine (our subject here) and white Zinfandel, an undistinguished blush often sold in cardboard containers.

While for years it was the ugly, boisterous stepsister of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir, Zinfandel has staked out a position as a contender, with boutique vintners now pushing price points well toward the $100-per-bottle mark. For our tasting, the range is not so exotic, centering on that reasonable sweet spot of $10 to $20. All of our choices are from the Stalinist state stores, including a couple of Chairman's Choices. In descending order of preference:

A beautifully balanced quaff — more than one taster called this one velvety. Leather, vanilla and cranberry tones, and a terrific lingering finish. There is a subtle spiciness (cinnamon), but this is a far cry from the wild Zins of yore.

This is a pioneer Zin producer, so the high level of cohesion is no surprise. Rosenblum makes a number of Zinfandels from different vineyards, including some high-end models. This is their entry-level version. Earthy and peppery, with delightful raspberry tones.

A brilliant, perhaps aggressive approach to Zin, with bright berry tones, nuts and leather on the nose. Dry; pungent, even, to one taster.

Here's a fun, lively wine (pictured) with an abundance of personality. Candy, cinnamon, tobacco and even smoked meat flavors perk up this firewater. Sweetness, perhaps figs, detected by one taster. Flat finish.

No real negatives here, unless you are looking for a wine with great subtlety. Characteristic candy and spice notes, but no layers. Lightweight, but pleasant.

Here is a sample from one of the pioneer Zin producers, with a merely adequate representative. Weak nose, hot and bitter in the mouth. In this company, a rather boring wine, and for Zinfandel, that is simply zinful.

(p_burwasser@citypaper.net)

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