Definition Of Old Vine Zinfandel
Guide to zinfandel wine how red zinfandel tastes.
Definition of old vine zinfandel. The primary flavors of zinfandel are jam blueberry black pepper cherry plum boysenberry cranberry and licorice. Old vine zinfandel is a much loved easy drinking red. Old vine zinfandels are red wines made from grapevines over 50 years old. It s since been praised on saturday kitchen and by olly smith.
We went to the californian heart of zin lodi and a three time us wine producer of the year. 2002 norman vineyards old vine cucamonga valley old vine zinfandel 19 tart and very spicy with red currant and raspberry fruit and additional aromas of red and black pepper and some sage. So a consumer may frequently be drinking wines from old vines without any indication or may enjoy a wine from a blend of younger and older vines ondine remarked adding that some consider 25 year old vines old. We sold 9 000 bottles in the first week.
Conversely a winemaker with 100 year old vines doesn t have to define her zinfandel as old vine on the bottle. Think of the lifespan of a zinfandel vine as equivalent to that of a healthy human being many of the oldest zinfandel vines are over 100 years old. Old vines grapes are almost exclusively used to make red zinfandel. How red zinfandel compares to other red wines.
Gnarly head old vine zinfandel is made using grapes sourced from gnarled 35 80 year old head trained vines. There is no legal or generally agreed definition for old. Yet the common labelling term actually has no legal definition. Zinfandel also known as primitivo is a variety of black skinned wine grape the variety is grown in over 10 percent of california vineyards.
As some of the oldest vines in california the fruit produced is exceptional intense and full flavored. When you taste zinfandel it often explodes with candied fruitiness followed by spice and often a tobacco like smoky finish. For the first ten years of its life it is a child sassy and young and full of vigor and rather uncontrolled. How do you capture the essence of zinfandel.
This intrepid old vine zinfandel has a gnarly core of rich. What does this mean for consumers. Alte reben a common description on wine labels indicates that a wine is the product of grape vines that are notably old. These are prized for their intense color and balanced flavors and often fetch a high price.