Schwarzenegger crushes Zinfandel bid [updated] August 23, 2006
Panos Kakaviatos
On Monday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed Senator Carole Midgen's bill that would have designated Zinfandel as the official 'historic wine of California'.
'It would be a shame,' the governor wrote, to effectively snub Cabernet and spite Chardonnay. [update ends]
A state legislature bill passed this month qualifying Zinfandel as California's 'historic wine' looks set to become law.
Known as Primitivo in Italy with origins in Croatia, Zinfandel was brought to California in the mid 19 Century.
'We recognize it for what it is, unique to California and with the oldest wines anywhere in the state,' Carlos Machado, an assistant to Senator Carole Midgen who originally drafted the bill, told decanter.com. 'Some may have opposed the bill because it is perceived to give preferential commercial advantage to Zinfandel, but what could be more Californian than that?'
California is 'the only place in the world to find old vine Zinfandel, where a few growers in the Sierra Nevada Foothills continue a tradition that began in the Gold Rush,' says the bill.
Some however, have reason to oppose the bill which now awaits the signature of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to become law.
The Napa Valley Grape Growers Association says that California should not limit itself to one flagship variety.
'For Napa Valley, Cabernet is king. But we're very proud of the Riesling on the hillsides and the Pinot down in Carneros. We wouldn't be able to isolate one and just be proud of that,' Jennifer Kopp, the association's executive director, told The San Francisco Chronicle.
In addition to domestic opposition to the bill, Italians and Croatians also dispute the notion of Zinfandel being historically Californian.
Zinfandel ranks as the state's third most popular wine, accounting for around 10% of all grapes grown for wine in California. The grape, said wine retailer Michael Sands of Washington DC-based importer Calvert Woodley, is very much an 'American phenomenon'.
A decanter.com poll held earlier this year saw 73% of people vote in favour of Zinfandel becoming California's official grape variety.
Have your say... To post your comment on this story, email us at news@decanter.com, making sure the relevant headline is in the subject field
Who Cares? If the wealthy and uneducated want to continue to dish out stupefying amounts of money for a wine that has ZERO developmental ageing, and Cali thinks it's special for the vine… Whatever; another pompous move of the American culture; and when did we decide that a Senator, who obviously doesn't know a thing about viticulture, or the fact that, no, Zinfandel is not unique to Cali, decide that it should have some sort of unique historical claim. This measure just shows the ignorance of the Average American trying to jump on the next 'band wagon.' Scott, Texas, USA
The reference in your article that Zinfandel is known as Primitivo in Italy is totally misleading and incorrect…check with some of the growers of the Primitivo Clone that was imported from Italy and is now being grown in Lake County and compare that to the Zinfandel Clones that we grow in Contra Costa County that were planted in the 1800's by the early Italian, Portuguese and Spanish farmers that were searching for gold…the flavors and fruit forward complexities of the California Zinfandel are unique and not close to the Primitivo Varietal…Zinfandel is definitely uniquely Californian! It cannot be compared to a distance cousin like Syrah and Shiraz might be. Michael Ginder, USA
What a waste of time and taxpayer money! Let the California state government spend their time figuring out energy problems, overcrowded schools, the lack of healthcare for working families, etc. Leave the wine decisions to winemakers and wineries, and the choices to those of us who love different wines for different reasons. Silly gimmicks has not given us better wines—and never will. Wendy, Berkeley, CA, USA
Personally, I think it is a good thing for California to adopt Zinfandel as its historic wine. It will give other New World producers a marketing advantage in export markets because Zinfandel wines are virtually unknown outside of California, and with some justification because generally they do not compare well with the established French, Italian and Spanish varieties. Professor Robert E White, Australia
Certainly there are some great varieties offering the consumer wonderful choices. I would not question a region claiming a variety as its own, due to the Terroir but for a whole state to claim it as its own would be the same as the brilliant Coonawarra reds being the flagship for the state of South Australia or the crisp whites of the Adelaide Hills region being the same. I believe that this sort of "branding" might affect the perception of other California varieties. This perception may be demonstrated in the simplistic fashion of the film "Sideways". I work in the McLaren Vale region and I don't mind a Merlot. Carey Akers, Morphett Vale, Australia
It's a bit pretentious to criticize Zin just because it may not have all the aging potential of a Pomerol. It reminds me a little of the people who say they would never go near Merlot but they love a good Right Bank wine. Zinfandel should be appreciated for its unique characteristics. In the right hands, it makes incredible wines. BTW, it does have some short term aging potential. Jay F
Attn Jay F: Yes, Zin can age. Stop and think about the whole statement I made – Developmental ageing – which, no, it doesn't. After it sits on your shelf for more than 5 years, it looses flavor profile instead of gaining. And yeah, I'm talking about the $100 bottle Turley. Again, before you criticize, make sure you're not taking something out of context. Scott, Texas, USA
Register on decanter.com absolutely free for news alerts delivered direct to your email inbox, and our fortnightly newsletter with advance notice of what’s coming up in Decanter magazine, offers, competitions and more.
PLUS registration is a one-stop shop for the Decanter magazine Archive and Decanter Fine Wine Tracker.
Who Cares? If the wealthy and uneducated want to continue to dish out stupefying amounts of money for a wine that has ZERO developmental ageing, and Cali thinks it's special for the vine… Whatever; another pompous move of the American culture; and when did we decide that a Senator, who obviously doesn't know a thing about viticulture, or the fact that, no, Zinfandel is not unique to Cali, decide that it should have some sort of unique historical claim. This measure just shows the ignorance of the Average American trying to jump on the next 'band wagon.' Scott, Texas, USA
