There has been many a discussion over the origin of this cultivar. Some believe it originated in Croatia, others in Italy, but the Americans were having non of that as they claim this thin skinned, fruity grape as their own.
ZAP is an organisation which was founded 20 years ago, these were the days when Zinfandel was considered the underdog. A small group of wine enthusiast got together and decided to put this particular varietal on the map as they believed it had the potential to compete with the top reds in the world. Today, ZAP comprises of hundreds of producers and thousands of advocates. Zinfandel has now come to be recognized and respected internationally as a world-class red wine that tells a wonderful American story.
Rolf Zeitvogel, Cellar Master at Blaauwklippen and a member of ZAP, returned from a visit to the United States, California with 6 varieties of their Zinfandel to compete with our very own, home grown from Blaauwklippen. The re-occurring fact that seemed to be evident throughout was the high alcohol content. These grapes are highly sensitive and it is not uncommon to see the fully ripened grape sharing a bunch with shrivelled raisins. Rolf mentioned that the uneven ripening on these bunches is the reason why they are able to get 3 different wines off one bunch. When tasting the wines one is overcome with the rich, fruity flavours as well as the strong presence of tannins. The American wines proved to be quite bold, like the Earthquake (my personal favourite), while others had a softer side such as the Terra d’ Oro. Our Blaauwklippen Zinfandel went down smooth as silky velvet even with the alcohol content giving the American brands a run for their money.
South Africa’s golden girl, Charlize Theron, herself has confessed her Love for the cultivar, in particular she mentioned Blaauwklippens Zinfandel being her favourite!
Zinfandel is definitely not for the novice wine drinker but more for those who have a few more notch’s on their belt. I myself was grateful for the experience and the knowledge that was provided by Rolf Zeitvogel, definitely broadened my horizons! The fantastic phenomenal experience was capped off with a 5 course meal to die for, served at Harveys. The Highlight for me being the “Before and After” sorbet served with Noble Late Harvest and the Duo of Beef along with Zinfandel Jus (a flavour to be reckoned with)!
Thanks to Rolf, Natalie (Marketing Manager for Blaauwklippen) and Nicolette from Waterford Communications for putting this all together! I look forward to visiting Blaauwklippen who is clearly the front runner in putting Zinfandel on the map in South Africa!!!… ;p