Treat your palate to these premium wines from California, the home of Zin

Here are three for you to drink

Carnivor Zinfandel

Meat was made for Carnivor. This boldly blended Zinfandel is a captivating complement to your favourite red meat.

Peter Morrell, Editor comments, “The Zinfandal grape is a close relative of Italy’s Primitivo, but the Californian terroir creates a completely different wine. I have been tasting Carnivor, and it is an exceptional example of this grape.

“The wine pours a dark ruby colour, and the bouquet offers very strong fruity aromas of blackberry, dark cherry and spice. In the mouth its 14.5% ABV gives the wine a very bold feel with muted tannins and exceptional smoothness.

“On the palate there is a multitude of layered flavours, dark fruit dominates with plum, blueberry and cherry. Immediately below that is oaky vanilla, tobacco, figs, and even hints of liquorice. The finish has fruit and spice and is very persistent.

“The wine is a fruity flavour bomb that you really must try, particularly if it’s paired with a succulent ribeye steak.”

Carnivor Zinfandel is available in Tesco, £10.50 per bottle

Orin Swift’s 8 Years in the Desert Majestic

8 Years in the Desert is Orin Swift’s homage to California and cult winemaker Dave Phinney’s grand return to Zinfandel after eight years away. Zinfandel holds a very special place in the Orin Swift canon; it is one of California’s signature grapes, easily associated with the state, and able to produce wines of bold fruit and spiced complexity. Suited to the warm growing regions across the west coast, Orin Swift focuses on finding great vineyards that produce Zinfandel of exceptional quality. Bright violet in the glass and full of pure brambly raspberry juice and blueberry preserves with a hint of white pepper and High Sierra forest floor. Lush and enveloping with a beam of acidity and notes of blackberry pie, plum and kirsch flourish, this wine has ultra-round tannins and lingering raspberry on the finish.

Orin Swift 8 Years in the Desert is launching in Majestic this month, £60.00 per bottle or £45.00 Mix Six price

Louis M. Martini Monte Rosso Vineyard Gnarly Vine Zinfandel

Louis M. Martini Monte Rosso Vineyard Gnarly Vine Zinfandel is made of 100% Zinfandel grapes grown on the historic Monte Rosso Vineyard, which boasts some of the oldest Zinfandel vines in California today. The site’s mix of high altitude, position above the fog-line, low-yielding vines and ideal western exposure produce a spectacular wine with a unique sense of terroir. Although yields from this vineyard are small (about 1.5 to 3 tonnes per acre), the old gnarled vines produce exceptional fruit with deep concentration. Expect aromas and flavours of baked raspberries, Bing cherry, and mulberries balanced by notes of cracked peppercorn, vanilla bean and the historic vineyard’s hallmark overtones of spice and dusty earth. Rich and concentrated, this wine showcases a vibrant line of acidity that follows through in the long, silky finish.

Louis M. Martini Gnarly Vine Zinfandel Monte Rosso Vineyard is available in Majestic, £60.00 per bottle or £52.50 Mix Six price

So, whether you’re planning to toast National Zinfandel Day with friends and family around a delicious meal or simply enjoy a glass or two by the fire, choose these wines from California as an excellent example of what makes this grape worth celebrating.