Homeland of famous Zinfandel is Croatia.
“Zin”, a dark-skinned red wine grape variety, is name “mysterious grape” .
It arrived in the United States from Europe in the early years of the 19th Century. It had a big success in California, where is still one of the most popular grape variety.
DNA research carried out in California in the 1990s confirmed that Zinfandel is identical to Italy’s Primitivo. But this research opened up an even older chapter of the variety’s history. We know that Primitivo arrived in Italy via Croatia, where it was known by Crljenak Kastelanski or Tribidrag.
Mike Grgich of Grgich Hills Estate Winery talks about zinfandel grapes beginning in his native Croatia.