Most Indians when asked about Zinfandel (also called Primitivo, Zin, Crljenak Kaštelanski and used to make full bodied red, sweet-white, rose and port type etc.) raise their opinion in a chorus: “ Off course it is a Californian wine that goes well with Indian food.” Say anymore and they get – truly – lost in the mystery of the wine. So, let the truth be told. Is it really true that Zinfandel goes well with Indian food? Is it also true that it is a Californian wine?

As more and more Indians are ceaselessly pairing Zinfandel with Indian food, I think it is about time we know more about a wine that the neo-connoisseurs swear by, but the oldies show distaste against, swaying a casual hand and calling it too sweet, excessively fruity and overwhelmingly spicy. One expert recently told me, “Zinfandel is not for the savants and the straight jacketed of the society. It is too blatant, almost with no mystery and doesn’t have any subtle flavours to imagine. In other words, he added, the wine is ‘too frank’. Far too frank than most would like to associate with.” I was foxed.

I think it is exactly due to this reason the young have found fascination for Zinfandel. One, they do not have too much time to imagine flavours, taste, smell…Two, they have got used to the new world (the true world of today, that is) which is too straight – with practically no time to bide. Further its being too frank, without pretences and volatile also doesn’t help. Three, they are completely at loss when each time they do try to understand the wines the oldies care to speak fondly of, they are bombarded with so much of detailing, procedure, method etc. So seeing the ridicule for Zinfandel, they behave possessed by the rebellion the unripe age naturally pits them against. And like all youngsters they love ridiculing the accepted norms and traditions. So, let me conclude for you my friends: Zinfandel is a young wine. Better still, it is a wine for youngsters.

For the statistics and a bit of history – Zinfandel is the second largest growing variety of Vitis Vinifera in California. Most of the vineyards are located in Napa valley. The wine draws its rich character from the sweet smell of fruits and richness of weather that one feels during each visit to the valley. But before we give the complete credit to California, let me burst the first myth: the country of its origin. The country of its origin is Croatia. Surprised? Yes, closer home, this sweet and bold wine was first made several centuries ago.

Let me now come to the crucial question of pairing. Says Ray Johnson, Assistant Director of the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, “if you’re a die-hard red wine drinker, however, we have found some workable pairings with spicy cuisine. Best bets are California Zinfandel, Australian Grenache, and Shiraz from either country, where the wine is ripe and jammy, almost a sweet expression of fruit, while at the same time, low in tannin and not burning with the taste of alcohol. These wines can really complement spicy meat dishes.”

So, as far as we Indian are concerned it goes well with our theme of spicy food. Try it with spicy seekh kebabs or momos (dimsums) as a starter. And for the main course pair it with mirchi ka salan, Degchi chicken and roomali rotis. And for the final course, one can consider giving a chocolate based pudding a passé and instead have it with warm gulab jamun or phirni. For others there is handi biryani, bharta baigan and rotis.

To sum up, the spicy flavours, mostly pepper, along with strong fruit, is too bold to capture the moods of the wandering old minds. It is just too matter of fact; as are the young. And that is where the fun and the competition lies.

Kulpreet Yadav, an international author and a connoisseur of wine, blogs at www.indian-wine.blogspot.com and www.anindianfiction.blogspot.com