Zinfandel

Zinfandel became California's signature red almost by accident, arriving with nineteenth-century immigrants and thriving so well in the state's warm valleys that it is now grown nowhere else in such volume. Sonoma, Napa, and Lodi are the classic sources, prized for old, low-yielding vines, some planted more than a century ago, that concentrate flavour into deeply coloured, high-alcohol wines with ripe blackberry and pepper spice. Old Vine bottlings, sourced from these established plantings, tend to show more complexity and restraint than younger vineyards typically manage. Styles range from bold and jammy through to more structured, food-friendly examples built to match rich, smoky cooking. For the grape's Italian relative, Primitivo is worth a look, and Red Wine covers everything else on offer.