There may be no grape in the world that goes by as many different names. Tribidrag in the Dalmatia region of Croatia. Primitivo in the heel of Italy’s boot, Apulia. Or simply, Zinfandel, as it is known in California where you will find most of the world’s plantings. And as befitting for a grape with so many known aliases, Zinfandel is something of a shapeshifter, employed to make wines ranging from hearty, rustic red wines to light, sweet rosés and countless variations in between. Known as one of the “founder varieties”, it can be traced as far back as 6000 BCE where it was first domesticated in the Caucasus region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.
Today, it is the second most widely grown grape in California, where Zinfandel vines can be found that are well over a hundred years old and still thriving. These grapes produce a soft textured, dry red wine that is packed with flavors and aromas of jammy fruit and berry.
Our California Zinfandel is smooth and full bodied with a light oak character. Aromatic with flavors of strawberry jam and ripe berries, with notes of allspice and mocha on the finish. A dry red wine with a robust alcohol content of 14% by volume.
The Signature Series™ Zinfandel is one of the most satisfying kits to make thanks to the inclusion of grape skins. You’ll mirror the professional vintner process of “punching the cap”, which makes your winemaking adventure even more hands on. VineCo’s jammy skin packs are much more expressive than dried grape skins, imparting more character from the grapes and boosting tannin structure in the finished wine.
High quality American oak cubes are used in the production of the California Zinfandel kit. One of the reasons oak has always been used to age wine is the slow release of delicious, complex compounds that complement the wines flavor. Oak cubes have more depth of flavor than chips or powder and slowly release compounds like furfural (sweet, caramel like), lignins (vanillin, spice, smoke), and lactones (classic oak flavor). American oak in particular is known to deliver aromatic sweetness, vanillin, and the classic oak flavor that can be found in many California Zins.
The VineCo Signature Zinfandel is as much of a chameleon as the grape itself, appropriately poured alongside a variety of dishes and suitable for countless social situations. It may be the first bottle you open with an appetizer of assorted rich cheeses. Or it may be just the thing to compliment a rack of lamb or char broiled ribeye. Nobody puts Zinfandel in a corner.
Zinfandel, California
- Strawberry jam, ripe berries, allspice, mocha finish
- Sweetness: Dry
- Oak: Light
- Body: Full
- ABV: 14%
- Kit Volume: 14 L
- Approximate Yield: 23 L
- Ready to bottle in 6-8 weeks
- Grape skins included
- Bottle labels included
