Varvaglione 12 e Mezzo Primitivo del Salento

Many Americans make the assumption that Zinfandel is a purely home-grown domestic grape.  And they’re actually wrong.  There is even a legend about Agoston Haraszthy magically creating Zinfandel in the rolling hills just outside of Healdsburg, Sonoma County. That’s totally incorrect, too (although it is true that Agoston founded a vineyard in Wisconsin, near Prairie du Sac, then became what’s considered the Father of California Wine, and much later in life, was eaten by a crocodile in Nicaragua).  What is true about Zinfandel is that it is delicious everywhere it is planted, and it has covered a lot of ground.  Looking back, Zinfandel was first brought to America from the Imperial Austrian Nursery in Vienna. It landed on Long Island and was a mid-19th century sensation in Boston, where it was known as Black Saint Peter, for its rich, early ripening fruit.  But it’s not native to Austria (at least not present-day Austria). The Imperial Nursery’s cuttings were Croatian, where it was and