Zinfandels to take the edge off winter chills
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There are many wines to warm your soul and palate on a cold Shanghai day. Some of the best are California Zinfandels. These full-bodied and fruity red wines also pair quite nicely with both Western and Chinese winter fare.
Until the late 20th century Zinfandel was often championed as America’s variety. Then scientists discovered it was actually genetically linked to the popular Primitivo variety in the southern Italian region of Puglia. More advanced DNA research by ampelographers, those intrepid scientists that study and classify the spices and strains of grapevines, made the startling discovery that in fact Primitivo vines had even more ancient relatives in Dalmatia in Croatia. The genetic diversity of indigenous Croatian vines that are genetically related to Primitivo and Zinfandel vines convinced the scientist this was the real ancestral home of the variety.
The grape first crossed the Atlantic sometime in the 1800s and by 1930 in Boston a merchant named Samuel Perkins was selling a red wine he called “Zenfendel.” The California Gold Rush in the mid 19th century is credited with bringing the vine to the Golden State. Zinfandel wines flourished on the warm and sunny west coast and Zinfandel was one of California’s most popular red varieties. In the early 20th century the grape lost favor and many Zinfandel vineyards were replanted with the more fashionable Bordeaux varieties Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
The California renaissance of Zinfandel started in the 1970s in the form of a semi-sweet pink wine curiously called White Zinfandel. These cloying sweet and mostly awful wines were hugely popular with the nascent wine drinkers of America who thankfully grew up and started to appreciate the higher quality red wines from this variety. This trend from the lower quality White Zinfandels to the better Zinfandel red wines reflected the growing maturity of American wine drinkers. Keeping things simple, many of these new wine aficionados simply referred to their favorite wine as Zin. Today, California boasts several areas that make high-quality Zinfandels including Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Sonoma, Napa Valley, Lodi and Amador County.
Depending on where in California Zinfandel is cultivated, the age of the vines, and the philosophy of the winemaker, Zinfandel style can vary significantly. Other than the aforementioned White Zinfandel, it’s rare to find a light-bodied Zinfandel, but you’ll find a range of styles, from elegant and balanced to very full-bodied, fruity and heady. Fruit flavors commonly include Raspberry, Black Cherry, Blackberry, Blueberry, Black Currant, Black Plum, Raisin, Fig, Apricot and Cranberry. California Zins are also quite well known for their spicy attributes that may include black pepper, licorice, star anise, tobacco and cardamom.
Today their exist two competing schools of Zinfandel winemaking that we may loosely refer to as traditional and modern. The traditional Zin makers allow greater ripeness in their grapes and make very fruity, almost sweet red wines with alcohol levels of 15 percent or above. The modern school favors less powerful and heady Zins that are more balanced and elegant. Some in California call this group Bordeaux style Zinfandels. The best examples of both traditional and modern style Zinfandels often come from old vines. Regardless of the style, the natural strength and multiplicity of flavors in high quality Zinfandel reds makes them perfect wines for strongly flavored winter dishes.
Winter food friendly
I recommend California Zinfandels with many Western meat dishes including roasted turkey, roasted duck and hearty stews. In all cases the fruit and spices in the wine help to highlight the savory qualities of the meats while their gentle tannins facilitate digestion.
Popular Shanghai meat dishes are also natural partners of Zin wines.Lion’s head meatballs are an excellent example. The abundant ripe red and black fruit flavors of Zinfandel wines nicely embellish the moist minced pork flavors while the natural sweetness of the cabbage is complemented by the fruit flavors of the wine. That touch of Zinfandel spiciness also contributes a lovely zestiness to the dish. Another popular Shanghai meat dish is pork belly in red sauce. This braised pork dish features a rich, somewhat sweet sauce that pairs well with traditional style Zinfandels that also feature an element of sweetness along with tannins that cut through the fattiness of the meat. In addition to Shanghai meat dishes, several spicy Sichuan and Hunan dishes match nicely with Zinfandel wines.
When choosing Zinfandels, I suggest sticking to producers that specialize in Zinfandels. One of my favorite producers is Ridge Winery in the Santa Cruz Mountain AVA. This winery is renowned for predominantly Zinfandel blend red wines of outstanding complexity. An excellent example is their Lytton Springs Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley wine that’s a blend of about 70 percent Zinfandel, 20 percent Petite Sirah and 10 percent Carignan. This deeply red colored wine offers generous aromas and flavors of black cherry, plum, vanilla and coffee with mouth-coating, slightly spicy soft tannins. Other premium Zin producers I’d recommend are Segesio, Frog’s Leap and Ravenswood.
Where to buy in Shanghai
Region & Style at a glance
Varieties:
Boasting a wide range of elevated micro-climates, this region cultivates mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel and Chardonnay vines.
Key Term:
AVA is the acronym for American Viticultural Area and is loosely the equivalent of AOC in France and DOC/DOCG in Italy.
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