Berger: Lighter zinfandels are back in favor

Bordeaux’s primary grape variety is cabernet sauvignon, Burgundy’s is pinot noir, Italy’s Barolo is nebbiolo, and chablis’ top grape is chardonnay.

If California has such an iconic wine grape, it would be zinfandel, one of the most popular red wines made in the Golden State. Nowhere else in the world is so much zinfandel planted and made into a red wine.

Although its European origins once were in doubt, its place in the American firmament was assured decades ago when it became the heart of so many blended red wines because of its charming strawberry and raspberry fruit.

Without zin, California’s red wine culture would have been pretty boring.

Today, however, after decades of rather shoddy treatment by many wine makers, the variety has reached a point where it faces a crisis. I am hearing lot of negativity about what it is supposed to be.

Some consumers say it should be dark and heavy. But a growing number see its potential as an elegant wine, the way it once was.

In the 1970s and 1980s, zinfandel was, for the most part, a medium-weight red wine that had charming fruit, and a moderate level of tannin. It was even being called America’s Beaujolais!

But starting about 25 years ago, the then-popular 100-point rating “system” became a major way to assess wine quality, and the reds that got the highest scores were dark, dense, and potent.

The result was a quest by wine makers to get higher scores, so they pushed zinfandel to its limit in terms of weight.

And pretty soon, most zinfandels we’re being compared with petite sirah. Instead of elegant, fruity aromas, most zins smelled like Port - over-ripe, raisiny and clumsy, and most were low in acid. And thus anti-food.

That style of wine was so pervasive that it was hard to find a wine in the style that once, decades earlier, made zin such a popular red -- quaffable and food-oriented.

At one point in the early evolution of zinfandel, the variety was seen as more claret-like with some potential to age. When it moved into the darker, more brooding style, it was clear that it would not age gracefully.

However, Mother Nature changed things. The relatively cool vintage of 2010 and the colder vintage of 2011 produced a number of lighter-weight zinfandels that hearkened back to wines of an earlier era.

Some winemakers feared that these lighter wines would be a hard sell, but consumers thought otherwise. Most of the wines sold well and comments from consumers seemed to be a lot more positive than wine makers had anticipated.

In the years since 2011, many winemakers intentionally lightened their styles, and the result has been a return to a more balanced wine. It is a style some newer consumers are finding charming.

Not every zinfandel winemaker has abandoned the heavier-is-better style, but we now are seeing quite a revival for this grape variety that has been so badly treated.

And the benefits have been evident to those who switched back.

For one thing, the wines are more drinkable, meaning people are finishing bottles and buying more. Also, the more approachable style doesn’t call for as much oak aging, or time in the cellar. Many of these wines are delightful to consume when released.

But the crossroads this wine is facing today is consumer confusion. One retailer told me recently that some of his buyers are confused by the new variety of zins they’re seeing.

One clue to what’s in a bottle is the alcohol content on the label. Though not always completely accurate, the alcohol on a label can help. A label that says 13.5 percent is probably going go be better structured than one that says 15.5 percent or more.

Carol Shelton recently released a delightful 2013 Zin from the Lingenfelder Vineyard ($33) in the Russian River Valley that exudes blackberries and red currents, plus a regional spice component that’s exciting.

Also in a more claret style are superb wines from Ridge (2014 Geyserville, $38), Hawley (2013 Ponzo, $30), and Husch (2013 Old Vines, La Ribera, $30).

Wine of the Week: 2013 Gary Farrell Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, Grist Vineyard ($50) -- The claret style of Zin doesn’t get much better than this, with its reserved but precise aroma of Blackberries and Bing cherry. It already has a bit of bottle bouquet, which is more evident with aeration, and sensational acidity for pairing with Italian food.

Sonoma County resident Dan Berger publishes “Vintage Experiences,” a weekly wine newsletter. Write to him at winenut@gmail.com.