A descendant of the Croatian Crijenak, Zinfandel grapes are most often grown in California and Italy where they are known as Primitivo.  The grapes are ideally grown on old vines which generate less fruit, but that deliver a more concentrated fruit flavor with higher tannins. This concentration results in wines with higher alcohol content than other reds, but also wines that are full of flavor, often described as “jammy” with hints of black pepper, herbs and clove.

Zinfandel - Old Vines With Simple Roots...The Wealth of Wine

Indeed the title of this segment speaks to Zinfandel's wonderful ability to grow for years and years with little need for complex roots. What becomes are vines that produce concentrated grapes that are rich and sweet. But we are a bit biased here as Zinfandel has recently caught our writer by storm and spun him into a huge lover of the varietal... In order to keep with our stated goal of creating educational and entertaining content, we'll let our friend Louis Krieger keep our segment as objective as possible... So with no further adieu (except to say, Drink More Zin!!!), we leave you in the best possible hands!