Zinfandel Grapes - Akash Winery

The story of Zinfandel is one of the most amazing modern success stories in the world of wine. Now discovered to be an ancient grape from Croatia known both as Tribidrag and Crljenak Kaštelanski, Zinfandel made its way through a series of unlikely events to end up as arguably the flagship grape of the California wine industry. It is thought to have first appeared in the state with the gold rush of the 1850's and by the turn of the century exploded into one of the most widely planted varieties in all of California. Zinfandel's popularity hinged not only on its ability to make bold, robust, and complex wine, but also on the rugged character of its vines and their ability to withstand the rigors of frontier life in an arid climate. It is so tenacious in fact that many California Zinfandel vineyards from the nineteenth century are still producing beautiful crops today.

One of the factors that has always made Zinfandel so unique is the amazing diversity of ripeness levels possible within a single cluster of its grapes. Zinfandel berries tend to ripen at different speeds, and it is common for some berries to raisinate quickly, some to ripen perfectly, and others to never fully ripen. This creates a completely distinct flavor profile in its finished wines that is unlike any other grape variety in existence. Notes of dried black fruit, baked blue fruit, fresh red fruit, and bramble spice can all exist simultaneously in a wine thanks to Zinfandel's uncanny natural tendencies. Pictured here is a Zinfandel cluster from Akash Winery in California's Temecula Valley that perfectly captures this strange phenomenon, and will certainly go on to make some delicious and authentically Californian Zinfandel wine.