If you like complex red wines, but aren’t looking for something super high in tannins, this might be the article for you.

Today we’ll be talking about old vine zinfandel, one of my favorite types of red wine.

As you might already know, zinfandel is a variety of wine all on its own. Zinfandel grapes are extremely popular amongst Californian wine makers, but actually can be traced back to Croatia. It likely first arrived in America when a horticulturist on Long Island purchased some vines from a nursery in Austria, who presumably had zinfandel from the time the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy ruled over Croatia.

Zinfandel is a jammy, fruit-foward wine, with dark grapes that produce dark berry flavors. It has a hint of spice too, which completes it’s overall full-bodied, slightly acidic profile.

This grape traveled from the east cost to the west during the 1850s California Gold Rush, where it grew to be fairly popular before the Great Depression, when most wines were coming out of the Central Valley, an environment zin wasn’t suited to.

Luckily for this article, it’s popularity started to grow back up in the early 1970s when it was mistakenly labeled as an original Californian grape.

Fast-forward to today, and zinfandel is one of America’s most popular grape varietals, rivaled only by cabernet-sauvignon. Since it’s been growing in California for so long, though, a specific type of zin has emerged in the past couple decades as well.

Old vine zinfandel is created from, well, old vines, typically ones over 50 years old.

If you’re wondering who would want to drink some wine made from a plant older than your parents, here’s why:

The older vines produce smaller grape bunches, which in turn means more sunlight exposure to the bunches produced. This results in highly concentrated flavor, creating an even more complex, fruity wine.

Besides it’s exceptional taste, old vine zin is also great because it won’t break your bank. The popularity of the grape after the Gold Rush led to it being planted all over California, so there are plenty of old vines to spare.

If you’re looking for a fruit-foward, spicy, perfectly tannic red wine, I definitely recommend this one. Here are some of my favorites!

It pairs best with something spicy and meaty, but I personally loved how it complemented some goat cheese and gruyere! Let me know if you’ll be picking one up at your liquor store or any other thoughts below!