Zinfandel

Zinfandel ( known in Italy as Primitivo ) is a red variety. Zinfandel-/Primitivo-Rotweine can achieve higher alcohol levels (13 to 15 volume percent ) due to the high sugar content of the grape. The wines are distinguished by a characteristic spicy, reminiscent of cinnamon, cloves, black pepper and dark forest fruits flavor.

In his growing areas, he is considered resistant to disease.

Growing areas and products

Zinfandel is grown mainly in California. From their different wines can be made ​​: Red wine, Rosé ( Blush Zinfandel, mostly with residual sugar ) or a bright Blanc de Noirs ( White Zinfandel when fermented without skins ). Zinfandel was in 1919, the five most important grape varieties of the USA and was very popular both as a table grape as well as during Prohibition as self-produced house wine. The vine has attained such high importance and is so popular that it is called a noble vine. With an increase of 13,200 ha to 20,000 ha ( in the years 1990 to 1998) he was at times the most planted grape variety in the United States. More recently, he was overtaken by Cabernet Sauvignon, but still carries on with 11% as the second most important variety for American agriculture. The German pronunciation of the variety is " Zinfandel ", the American differs somewhat. Previously could not be grown Zinfandel in Germany; only since a few years there are also a few vineyards.

The Primitivo grape is Zinfandel with identical (for more details see the section lineage and history), therefore market Italian Primitivo wine growers their wine partly under the more familiar name Zinfandel. The most famous Italian cultivation zone for Primitivo is Manduria in the Apulia region, where there is the DOC zone Primitivo di Manduria, however, some excellent specimens under the IGT Primitivo di Puglia are sold.

Race and History

Around 1825 the Rebschulenbetreiber George Gibbs of Long Iceland imported the variety with various other from Vienna ( Gumpoldskirchen ) in the United States. From this time, probably the name comes Zinfandel, as some authors suggest that the name of the Zierfandler was erroneously assigned to a package with Zinfandel in the shipments from Austria. After Morris L. West Zinfandel by Colonel Agoston Haraszthy was brought over from Hungary. Before moving to California, she was mainly cultivated as a table grape. 1919 was the variety of the top five varieties of U.S. and was very popular during Prohibition.

Since the 1960s, the Zinfandel was sought after European origin. The American plant pathologist Austin Goheen fell on a trip to Italy at the Primitivo and he returned the variety with to California, to compare it with Zinfandel. Because of his studies, which were limited to visible criteria, he suspected that the varieties are identical, but the final proof he could not provide. This was achieved only in 1999 Carole Meredith, a professor of oenology at the University of Davis, who could establish the identity beyond doubt also at the DNA level.

Since research had shown that the Primitivo grape has been grown in Puglia only been 150 to 250 years and Zinfandel came in the middle of the 19th century to California, the question remained, where the common origin of both varieties could be found. Meredith and her staff were already followed in the 1990s references, according to which an origin of the grape variety in Croatia could be. They brought over a hundred different samples to compare them, but an identical variety was not among them. The end of 2001, they found only in the old variety Crljenak.

The Crljenak come from the territory of the Croatian -Hungarian border region. The vine was insensitive to weather conditions grown more in sunny Dalmatia. The name comes from the Croatian dialect of Međimurje and means " the reddish".

Ampelographic varietal characteristics

In the ampelography the habit is described as follows:

• The shoot tip is open. It is starkwollig hairy and colored slightly reddish at the tips. The yellowish young leaves with their orange to bronze-colored spots are only spinnwebig hairy and shiny.
• The medium to large leaves are usually five-lobed and sinuate pronounced deep ( seven - and even neunlappig in rare cases). The petiole is lyres -shaped open. The sheet is cut sharply. The teeth are set closely compared the vine. The leaf surface (also called lamina ) is only slightly blistered. In the fall, only the tooth tips of the leaves turn reddish.
• The cylindrical to conical grape is shouldered, medium size, very slim in shape and very dichtbeerig. The roundish berries are medium to large in size and of blue-black color. The shell of the berry is moderately thick. The aroma of juicy berry is neutral.

The berries ripen about 20 days after which the good Dels. It is valid under international scale even than mid-early maturing.

Prone is the vine against gray mold and they are often prone to strong coulure. In addition, the vine harm pronounced dryness.

Difficult is to be ripening behavior. Often found under ripe grapes unripe green berries, must be gleaned from that source. In hot climates like California can not be delayed in reaching full maturity, because these very quickly turns into over-ripeness, even at small amounts in combination with noble rot causes severe loss of quality red wines.

Synonyms

Zinfandel and Primitivo are not fully identical. At different locations, the vine has developed different genes. The vine Primitivo is also Crljenak kastelanski, Gioia del Colle, Morellone, Plavac Veliki, Primatice, Primativo, Primitivo di Gioia, Primitivo nero, Taranto, Uva della Pergola, Uva di Corato, Zin ( colloquially ), Zinfandel, Zinfardel, Zinfardell, Zinfindal called and ZPC. The synonym Zagarese is used partly in error.

Descendants

From a presumably natural crossing with Dobričić from the island of Solta Plavac Mali was born.