The Unique History of Zinfandel

Zinfandel was America's grape. There was no Zin in Europe, so the opinion was it's an American original. In the 1990s, that all changed.

"Zinfandel" growing in Croatia

The History of Zinfandel 

Zinfandel has been in the U.S. for two centuries so at first it was assumed to be a native American grape. Then it was found to be Vitis vinifera, meaning it must be from Europe. Croatia was suspected to be the origin because there was a grape vine that looked the same, but there was no scientific evidence. Later in about 1970 it was found that southern Italy's Primitivo looked similar.

In the 1990s Dr. Carole Meredith, a professor in the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology, led a research group pioneering the use of genetic testing to determine grape varieties and their lineage. They found that American Zinfandel and Italian Primitivo were the same grape, but Primitivo had only been in Italy for a couple of hundred years. An Italian researcher led them to Croatia. That's where the same grape was found as Crljenak Kastelanski. You can see why no one in the US calls it by its Croatian name. Anyway, that ancient Croatian grape originated in Dalmatia, Croatia near the Adriatic Sea, across from southern Italy. 
 

Where Zinfandel is Grown

In California, the main growing areas for premium Zinfandel are in Sonoma County, especially Dry Creek Valley, in Napa Valley, Lodi, the Sierra Foothills, especially Amador County, San Luis Obispo County's Paso Robles, Contra Costa County, and Mendocino County. 

Outside the U.S., in Italy's Puglia, Croatia, South Australia, and South Africa.

The U.S. government branch that controls the wine industry decided that American wineries can call it either Zinfandel or Primitivo, adding to the confusion. They are considered clones of the same grape variety. A few people have brought in Primitivo and Crljenak Kastelanski vines and planted them in California.