On Wine: Zinfandel's appeal is still unexplained

At first it was thought that Agoston Haraszthy, Hungarian emigre, rascal and ersatz father of California wines, brought the grape to the Golden State from Hungary in the mid-19th century but, alas, he was eaten by alligators in Nicaragua before he could debunk the theory.

More recently it was believed that zinfandel came from southern Italy (where it goes by the name of primativo) but that didn't pan out either.

Now, with some good sleuthing and DNA technology, zinfandel is confirmed to be the Croatian crljenak grape. How it came to be called zinfandel is still a mystery but why the name was changed is pretty obvious.

Another mystery, still unsolved, is why zinfandel has remained so dear to the hearts of wine drinkers for so many years.

The grape was an immediate hit with Italian immigrants, who planted it wholesale throughout Northern California. Over the years these hardy plants survived at least one phylloxera blight, Prohibition and the recent urge of winemakers to modernize their vineyards. Some venerable vines are now more than 100 years old, a few growers claim to have vines planted 150 years ago.

Zinfandel seems an unlikely cult wine, but its devotees are legion. Their zeal has an outlet: ZAP, for Zinfandel Advocates and Producers. ZAP was founded 11 years ago as a non-profit organization that is "dedicated to advancing public knowledge of and appreciation for American Zinfandel and its unique place in our culture and history."

Each year the organization sponsors a festival to celebrate this "most American of grapes." According to ZAP more than 10,000 fans showed up in San Francisco in January to taste more than 600 zins from 286 wineries. Late in April a mini-version of the event took place in Seattle and was attended by hundreds of local ZAP members and zinfandel fans.

Some 60 wineries, represented mostly by winemakers or principals, poured their wines for a spirited crowd. The winery folk seemed to be having at least as good a time as the attendees. Dave Pramuk, partner in the Robert Biale Vineyards winery, loves ZAP events.

"Zinfandel has developed a following of real wine drinkers, not collectors," he said as he poured a taste of his 2000 Biale Black Chicken. "They're the least snooty crowd."

Zinfandel, like syrah, can be lusty and earthy, not too citified, well behaved but wild at heart like a cowboy at a dinner party. This accounts, in part, for its fascination as as does its ability to morph into so many styles -- perhaps more than any other grape. There are the claret or cabernetlike wines that can be intense and elegant, often with lots of new French oak. Next are the oversize, fruit-bomb wines that have more than enough of everything. And then there are the sweet, alcoholic, portlike powerhouses. Of course, there are also white zinfandel wines that are made by separating the dark skins of the grapes from the clear juice before fermentation. But only red zinfandels are represented at ZAP events.

Richard Flores, treasurer of ZAP, wanted to be my tour guide at the Seattle tasting. He told me the name of Biale's Black Chicken zin refers to the code name for bootlegged wine that old man Aldo Biale used to sell. Customers calling the Biale farm on a party line would order a dozen eggs and a "black chicken." The Black Chicken I tasted was elegant, lush, brimming with sweet fruit and spicy oak and perfectly legal.

"Carol Shelton has won more medals than any other winemaker in the country," Flores informed me as he led me to her table. A few years ago, she opened her own winery where she makes tiny amounts of only three wines -- all zins. She is short, blond and excited as a puppy about her wines. Many think she will be the next zinfandel superstar. Her wines, all from the 2000 vintage, are called Wild Thing, Monga Zin and Rocky Reserve. These are massive, fruit-drenched, high-alcohol wines in which size and elegance effectively co-exist.

Van Williams, a big scruffy bear of a guy, is winemaker for Edmeades Winery and he strives for a different style of zin. Referring to zinfandel's propensity to make huge wines, "you need to tame the beast," he said, clenching a fist for effect. His 1998 Edmeades Mendocino zin is evenly balanced, spicy and elegant. It also has excellent texture or mouth feel. "Touch is very important in wines," Williams said.

What about Washington? Why don't we make zinfandel here? Well, the fact is we do, and we just may be seeing a lot more of them. Soon to be released will be zins from Columbia Crest, Chateau Ste. Michelle, Thurston Wolf, Hogue and Columbia wineries. This year Maryhill Winery, near the Columbia River Gorge, stunned everyone when its 2000 zinfandel bested dozens from California at the West Coast Wine Competition. It not only brought home a gold medal but took the Best of class award.

Initial results were not good when zinfandel was tried here a few decades ago, but with better knowledge of how to grow this grape in our unique climate things are looking up. Winemakers and growers dealing with zinfandel here have found that it has some very special requirements. It needs a hot site with plenty of sun directly on the fruit. It tends to "over crop" (produce too much fruit) so it needs to be aggressively pruned. It needs long warm growing seasons but it is winter tender. Zin needs very high sugars to make good wine (about 28 percent sugar compared to 22-25 percent for other red grapes), which is why it can produce those big monster reds. But it can easily overripen and burst its skin, leaving it susceptible to rot. And older vines seem to produce the best wines.

ZIN RANGE

These wines, tasted at the recent Zinfandel Advocates and Producers event in Seattle, represent the different zinfandel styles being produced today. They all should be available but may take some extra effort to find.

The claret or cabernet style:

Ridge 2000 California Coast Range (about $13). A blend of five grapes other than zin -- just the way the first Italian immigrants made their wines in California.

La Crema 1997 Sonoma County Reserve (about $21). Best of Class at the recent San Diego Wine Competition.

Murphy-Goode Estate Winery 2000 Liar's Dice Vineyard (about $20). Also Best of Class at San Diego National Wine Competition.

Edmeades 1998 Mendocino (about $17).

Chateau Camou Flor de Guadalupe 1997 (about $18). Vineyards are in Baja Mexico; certainly Mexico's best winery and quite possibly one of the best on the West Coast.

Maryhill Winery 2000 Columbia Valley (about $24). Definitely worth seeking out. Available only at the winery 509-773-5590; www.maryhillwinery.com.

Big "fruit-bomb" style:

Carol Shelton 2000 Monga Zin (about $24).

Carol Shelton 2000 Wild Thing (about $28).

Carol Shelton 2000 Rocky Reserve (about $32).

Robert Biale Vineyards 2000 Black Chicken (about $38).

Robert Biale Vineyards 2000 Spenker vineyard (about $38).

Port-like powerhouse style:

Edmeades 2000 Alden Vineyard (about $25). Tart and spicy, it is made from late harvested grapes and has almost 3 percent sugar. The winemaker suggests serving it with a cheese plate.

To contact the ZAP organization e-mail zaprr@oro.net; 530-274-4900.

You can contact Richard Kinssies at 206-782-0617. E-mail him at richardkinssies@msn.com.

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