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Italo's Zinfandel

Italo's Zinfandel Wine Details
Price: $28.00 per bottle

Description: This Alexander Valley Zinfandel vineyard was owned and planted by my Father Gino and Uncle Italo in the early 1930s. just after the repeal of Prohibition. They started a little winery that unfortunately didn't fare well during the Depression. My father sold out to my Uncle Italo and went to work for Monte Bello Wine Company in San Francisco. My Uncle continued to lived on the property and was a farmer all his life. When my cousins asked me to crush the grapes from Italo's Vineyard in 2006. I was thrilled with the prospect and decided it was fitting to name the wine after my Uncle Italo.

Varietal Definition
Zinfandel:
Zinfandel is a variety of red grape planted in over 10 percent of California wine vineyards. DNA fingerprinting revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grape Crljenak Kaštelanski, and also the Primitivo variety traditionally grown in the 'heel' of Italy. It is typically made into a robust red wine. Its taste depends on the ripeness of the grapes from which it is made. Red berry fruits like raspberry predominate in wines from cooler areas such as the Napa Valley, whereas blackberry, anise and pepper notes are more common in wines made in warmer areas such as Sonoma County. Many Zinfandels come from head pruned ‘Old Vines’. ‘Old Vine’ is generally understood to mean a vine that is more than 50 years old and that produces less than three tons per acre. ‘Head Pruning’ is an old European style of pruning that trains the vine into the shape of a goblet. It requires no wires or other complex trellis systems. Head pruning spreads the fruit uniformly along the vine and allows light penetration.In the USA a semi-sweet Rosé (blush-style) wine called ‘White Zinfandel’ has achieved widespread popularity. In fact, this popularity has so outstripped all other forms that many fans think there is actually a grape called “White Zinfandel” (there isn’t)!


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