zinfandel

[zin-fuh n-del]

noun

a black vinifera grape, grown in California.
a dry red wine made from this grape in California.

Origin of zinfandel

First recorded in 1895–1900; origin uncertain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for zinfandel

Contemporary Examples of zinfandel

A bottle of the Martinelli Jackass Hill 2010 Zinfandel costs about $100—if you can find it.
Napa’s Earthquake Is Not The Only Thing Shaking The Vineyards
Clive Irving
August 31, 2014
When it comes to Zinfandel no comparisons are possible between France and California because no relationship exists.
Napa’s Earthquake Is Not The Only Thing Shaking The Vineyards
Clive Irving
August 31, 2014
Among lovers of Zinfandel—including me—this is the Petrus of the category.
Napa’s Earthquake Is Not The Only Thing Shaking The Vineyards
Clive Irving
August 31, 2014
For a long while Zinfandel was the mystery grape, apparently sui generis except that nobody knew where it came from.
Napa’s Earthquake Is Not The Only Thing Shaking The Vineyards
Clive Irving
August 31, 2014
More than twenty-two grape varieties flourish including Mission, Syrah, Petit Syrah, Alicante Bouchet and Zinfandel.
The Pleasures of America’s Oldest Vines
Jordan Salcito
February 22, 2014

Historical Examples of zinfandel

A Zinfandel vine under the same conditions would not reach a tenth of this size in the same time.
Manual of American Grape-Growing
U. P. Hedrick
Grapes for dry wines, such as Zinfandel and Burger, bring on the Pacific coast from $10 to $12 a ton.
Manual of American Grape-Growing
U. P. Hedrick

British Dictionary definitions for zinfandel

Zinfandel

noun

a Californian wine grape originally transplanted from Europe and producing a quick-maturing fruity red wine

Word Origin for Zinfandel

C19: of unknown origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for zinfandel

1896, "red or white dry California wine," origin uncertain; used earlier as the name of the grape from which it was made (1880). The wine itself is said to have been known in U.S. since 1829. Some wine experts suggest a corruption of the Austrian grape name Zierfandler, though these grapes are not related to those of zinfandel. See this article:

The similarity in the names Zinfandel and Zierfandler arouses some speculation. Modern vine identification systems did not yet exist in 1829, so it is conceivable that the cuttings George Gibbs imported to the USA had never been correctly identified in Austria.