Zinfandels may not sound like an inviting proposition if you are looking for mouth-watering drinkability, at least not in the adverse context of global warming, where the grape makes heady, jammy, high-octane wines with plenty of alcohol and oodles of sweet fruit but comes up short on acidity. The reputation of the sweet-toothed, commercially successful white zinfandel also turned many serious consumers away from this grape, in the same manner that Beaujolais Nouveau overtook Beaujolais.
However, the modern ethos of making drier, fresher and brighter wines has helped many old-school zinfandels turn the corner. At its best, the grape today makes flavorful yet fresh wine. It has toned up the racier side of its vibrant red fruit and has framed its sunny, hedonistic characters in a more rational, linear and smoothly presented package with fine, mealy tannins. They are still rich wines, but fresher and less heavy than ever before as winemakers turn away from porty, cooked fruit bombs.
Today, new California zinfandels are excellent choices for consumers who aren’t looking for demanding austerity in their reds, preferring greater clarity on the provenance and vintage of wine. Although the removal of alcohol by some zinfandel producers is a well-kept secret, some have pulled it off, leaving no trace of manipulation in the glass. Others have sacrificed the interests of agricultural attributes and further commercialized the wine as a modern, uniform commodity. But for winemakers who are willing to be authentic at a high level of 15% alcohol, the interplay between alcohol and other elements in wine is the ultimate factor in deciding whether the wine can retain balance.