Make Benefit Glorious Zinfandel

"Consumer Learnings for Make Benefit Glorious Zinfandel Future"

Christian Miller, owner of Full Glass Research—a wine industry research firm—chose this title for a presentation he gave in Paso Robles as a joking reference to the movie Borat.  (See the movie's wine episode here.) And it’s pretty appropriate, because depending on who you talk to, zinfandel means different things to different people. There’s an almost Babel-like confusion involved in the language of zinfandel.

Some people expect jammy wines. Some people expect spice and pepper. Some people don’t like it because they don’t know what to expect. Only 17% of hard core wine geeks would drink zinfandel with a "gourmet dinner at home," but 51% of the same group agree that zinfandel "complements a wide variety of food."

Zin winemakers reported that direct-to-consumer sales were the most important part of their marketing. But according to the study, consumers want to see more zinfandel in restaurants. One of the significant findings of the study was a difference in trade perception vs. consumer perception. In other words, wine drinkers are not seeing what they want on restaurant lists—versatile, food-friendly zinfandels.

Again, I think it comes back to the language of zinfandel. If you’re talking to a cabfreak or burghead, they’re likely to have the opinion that all zins are high alcohol and ultra ripe. But the zinfandels that are most talked about among zindogs are the big, ultra ripe style. So the only zins that cabfreaks and burghounds would therefore be inclined to try are those highly touted productions, which are in fact their rival's favorite style—not theirs.

Perhaps one of the reasons—even the major reason—that wine critics seldom score zinfandel highly, and particularly in comparison with cabernet and pinot noir—is that zinfandel is a highly versatile grape. Zinfandel encompasses a range of styles that includes brambly brick-red old vine styles, jammy quaffers, and purple blockbusters. Some wineries emphasize the black pepper component, some play it down. Zinfandel has earned a reputation as a wine that does not age well; but many people agree that some producers’ zinfandels age longer, and are far fresher at an advanced age, than many California pinots.

From Miller’s report, "Many who said they preferred ‘bold,’ ‘rich’ and ‘ripe' wines, in other questions nonetheless picked middle or lower alcohol as their preference."

But what is really telling is that in the winegeek crowd (cab freaks, burgheads, etc.), 63% would like to see "more and better Zinfandels available by the glass in restaurants and in wine bars". (Among ZAP members 89% agreed, but that’s sort of a given . . . ) In addition, 66% of ZAP members and 52% of core wine drinkers agreed that restaurants rarely have a good Zinfandel selection. On the other hand, the cabfreak/burghound/core buying crowd would only order zinfandel in an "exceptional restaurant" 15% of the time—although they would choose a zinfandel for barbecue and grilling 29% of the time.

Of the core wine drinkers (not the ZAP fans), 51% felt that "a good Zin is just as fine a wine as a good Cabernet, Bordeaux or Pinot Noir."

So, if zinfandel is high in alcohol, generally uber-ripe, supposedly doesn’t age well, and is not a wine to be paired with gourmet meals or deserving of critical attention, why are so many people—including core wine consumers who have no preference for zinfandel—clamoring to see more zinfandel in restaurants? Should zinfandel be more readily available—but only in Bubba-style rib joints and Basque family-style restaurants? Will zinfandel ever be a democratic choice of wine in fine dining?

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The 1,377 people involved in the report were separated into groups of core wine drinkers, high frequency zin drinkers (HFZ), winemakers, and festival attendees. All groups were evenly divided between male and female, except that more males were registered as members of ZAP. (That, however, could be due to the tradition of counting the male of a couple as the registrant.) Most of the participants, about 60%, are between the age of 40-59. Most participants reported earnings of $50K to $200K, and 23% of ZAP members earn over $200K a year. Clearly this is a crowd with the disposable income and earned wisdom to enjoy a variety of wines at various price points, including zinfandel.

Comments

[John Hecht]

I tasted one of the best zins I have ever had on a recent trip to Healdsburg. 2006 Dark Horse Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, Treborce Vineyards. small production Zin that was absolutely incredible. Any suggestions on other great zins to try?

[Bill Mossman]

I also tasted Dark Horse Zin. It was awesome. It's a small production winery so it's hard to find. I bought a case at www.darkhorsewine.com
I would get on the list before they hit cult status.