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Italy
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In a good year, Italy is the world’s top wine-producing country by volume (with France also claiming that distinction at times), and has a rich winemaking history dating back to the 8th century BC. Greek colonists were the first to establish viticulture in Italy, and production later flourished with the rise of the Roman Empire. Today, Italy accounts for nearly a fifth of the world’s wine production, and the country’s diverse landscape and latitudinal range — from the Alps in the north to within a short nautical jaunt of Africa in the south — lends itself to a variety of different styles. Among Italy’s most-celebrated styles are Brunello di Montalcino and Chianti, made primarily with Sangiovese from the Tuscany region, and Barolo and Barbaresco from the Piedmont region, produced exclusively from Nebbiolo. Italy also produces some terrific whites. Besides Pinot Grigio, which is the most well-known and commercially successful white varietal from Italy, other grapes that stand out are Trebbiano, Verdicchio, Vernaccia and Moscato — the grape used in Italy’s most famous sparkling wine, Asti. |
Zinfandel
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Often referred to as “America’s Heritage Grape,” Zinfandel is the quintessential California grape. It is just this unpretentious, homegrown mystique that attracts anti-wine snobs to the many varied styles of Zinfandel. Historically, the grape is tied to the Gold Rush era. Alcohol was in high demand with thirsty miners, and Zinfandel, whose vines are capable of producing high yields, was readily available for consumption. Practical considerations also helped to propagate the vine. The materials used to build the gold mines made timber and wire scarce. The Zinfandel vine could be planted without wire or post, in a freestanding bush shape known as “head pruned.” The quintessential California grape is anything but American in origin, though. In the 1990s, UC Davis Professor Carole Meredith confirmed that Zinfandel and Italy’s Primitivo have the same DNA structure, leading to speculation that Italian immigrants may have brought the vine to California. However in 2002, Meredith and her colleagues published the discovery that Zinfandel and the Croatian grape Crjenak Kaštelanski have identical DNA, and that Croatia may be the place of origin for this grape. Zinfandel’s telltale bold flavors vary from raspberry liqueur to exotic Asian spice, chocolate and pepper notes. It’s generally high in alcohol, with rich, syrupy fruit and a lush texture, making it a favorite of another American tradition — barbecue. Whatever its origin, Zinfandel is purely an American wine phenomenon. |
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