The History of White Zinfandel and How it Has Evolved Since the 70’s

What is the history of White Zinfandel wine

White Zinfandel wine was invented by (happy!) accident. In 1972, winemaker Bob Trinchero was attempting to make his Amador County Zinfandel even more bold. Long an admirer of famously dry French Rosés, he bled off and fermented the free run juice from the Zinfandel grapes. Removing free run juice leaves behind more concentrated and intense red wine and also creates pink juice that can be made into Rosé wine. While the result was not exactly the French-style Rosé he expected, it was still delicious – he sold it in his winery as a tasting room exclusive. 

Fast-forward three years: a batch of this pink-hued Zinfandel experienced “stuck-fermentation” while aging – which means that the fermentation stalled before all the sugar turned to alcohol. It was sweeter, with less alcohol. But it was pleasant and perky, nevertheless. They took it to market and the result was a run-away success. White Zinfandel was born a star. 

Why is it called White Zinfandel?

With the history of White Zinfandel described, you may be wondering how it got its name. White Zinfandel (White Zin) is not white wine, but rather pink. Originally, it was referred to by the French as Oeil de Perdrix which means Eye of the Partridge, a reference to red grapes used to make a white wine. However, laws in the US ruled that it must have an English description and so it was coined White Zinfandel.

In circles of wine-connoisseurs, the mention of white Zinfandel will often draw small smirks and snide comments. Yet it is among the country’s most popular wines in sales year after year. Those who might claim that white Zinfandel lacks complexity are forgetting how truly fun it is. (Who would you invite to a party: complicated and involved or flirty and friendly!?) 

Perhaps some of white Zinfandel’s reputation is a result of first time wine drinkers finding white Zinfandel as a great way to acclimate their young palate. The easy going qualities of White Zinfandel taste–sweet, low in alcohol, and affordable in price,–makes it an easy-to-fall-for starter-wine. But once that novice wine drinker becomes more practiced, they may feel their palate has “outgrown” white Zinfandel’s innocent ways. Shame, that!