ZIN City- The Day That Zinfandel Swooshed Manhattan!
Ladies from Rancho Zabaco Zinfandel is America's heritage grape from California, sans Europe and back, some say. During prohibition Zin growers made their riches selling their grapes to home winemakers in Brooklyn and Queens. These urban winemakers, mainly sons of Italian American immigrants, followed their old world traditions making table wines in their basements to drink with their daily supper. Zinfandel grapes traveled well from California in wooden crates. Fast forward to 2012, red wine is America's preferred vino. Zinfandel has grown in popularity and comprises more than 10% of all planted grapes in California. Still as Joel Petersen, founder of Ravenswood says, "It is the grape that wine writers love to hate". As a wine writer I know that some geeks are down on high alcohol Zins that are labeled at 16% and can possibly be 18.5% (2.5% margin of grace). You can spot (or sniff) one of these "hot" Zins a mile away. Still it is not fair to brand a