In the history of California, wine ranks with gold, oil, tourism, and agricultural produce in terms of being a big money spinner. The gold is long gone, the oil has an uncertain future, and the tourism ebbs and (mostly) flows. But agriculture, especially viticulture, continues to flourish.
Zen Buddhism maintains that separate things exist only in relation to one another, that nature cannot be grasped by any system of fixed definition or classification. Many aficionados of “the mystery grape,” Zinfandel, would agree: “In the mirrorlike relationship between wine and human beings, Zinfandel owned more reflective properties than any other grape; in its infinite mutability, it was capable of expressing almost any philosophical position or psychological function. As a result, its own “true” nature might never be known. If it could truly be called anything, it remained truly Californian and hence truly American–something that, having originated elsewhere, was continually reinventing its image, its history, and its taste” (David Darlington, Angels’ Visits: An Inquiry Into The Mystery Of Zinfandel, Da Capo Press, 2001, p. 275).
Zinfandel wine is shrouded in myth, mystery, and miracle. The origin of the rootstock was in dispute for decades, its clones vary dramatically, and its popularity with wine producers, consumers, and reviewers is as varied and complex as the wine itself. Indeed, a large segment of today’s general public still confuses traditional Zinfandel with “White Zinfandel,” a “blanc de noir” craze which began in the mid 1970s and which drove traditional Zinfandel enthusiasts up the wall but also rescued “California’s unique treasure” from a serious decline.
The myth that Zinfandel was imported from Hungary to California by the legendary “Count” Haraszthy, sometimes called the “Father of Modern Winemaking in California,” has, sadly, been debunked. Sadly, if only because such Wild West stories are part and parcel of the American past, part of the great myth which has both defined and even defamed California’s history. Recent DNA fingerprinting revealed that Zinfandel “is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grape Crljenak Kaštelanski, and also the Primitivo variety traditionally grown in the “heel” of Italy, where it was introduced in the 18th century. The grape found its way to the United States in the mid-19th century, and became known by variations of the name “Zinfandel,” a name of uncertain origin…Joseph W. Osborne may have made the first wine from Zinfandel in California. He planted Zinfandel from Macondray [a nursery owner who brought Zinfandel to California from Massachusetts] at his Oak Knoll vineyard just north of Napa, and his wine was much praised in 1857. Planting of Zinfandel boomed soon after, and by the end of the 19th century it was the most widespread variety in California” (source).
Zinfandel may be liquid gold, but, looking beyond the bottom dollar line, it has done much more for California and America than simply earning money. Originally grown for jug wine, California Zinfandel has recently entered the big league of fine wines and now commands international respect. After cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay, zinfandel plantings rank third in California. Ironically, the recent revival of Zinfandel’s popularity in America seems to have as much to do with European acclaim as it does with local cult status.
Zinfandel is as varied as its sources, its production, and its clientele. The mystery grape is a living paradigm for California, and, by extension, for America. As the Zen Buddhist might have said to the California Zin winemaker, “Make me one with everything.”
Zinfandel_grapes.jpg<|>549<|>Zinfandel grapes ripening on the vine. Species Vitis vinifera; also called Crljenak Kaštelanski, Zin, ZPC, etc; origin: Croatia…The grapes typically produce a robust red wine, although a semi-sweet rosé (blush-style) wine called White Zinfandel has six times the sales of the red wine in the United States. The grape’s high sugar content can be fermented into levels of alcohol exceeding 15 percent (Wikipedia: Zinfandel){|}Portrait_of_the_Hungarian_Count_Agoston_Haraszthy.jpg<|>1670<|>Agoston Haraszthy was a Hungarian-American traveler, writer, town-builder, and pioneer winemaker in Wisconsin and California, often referred to as the “Father of California Viticulture,” or the “Father of Modern Winemaking in California.” One of the first men to plant vineyards in Wisconsin, he was the founder of the Buena Vista vineyards in Sonoma, California, and an early and important writer on California wine and viticulture. He was the first Hungarian to settle permanently in the United States and only the second to write a book about the country in his native language. He is remembered in Wisconsin as the founder of the oldest incorporated village in the state. He also operated the first commercial steamboat on the upper Mississippi River. In San Diego he is remembered as the first town marshal and the first county sheriff. In California he introduced more than three hundred varieties of European grapes (Wikipedia: Agoston Haraszthy)
