Zinfandel was first planted in California by Italian immigrants in the late 1800s. The style of Zinfandel has varied greatly over the years. It is no doubt due to the great popularity of White Zinfandel in the 1980s that many of the state’s Zinfandel vineyards were spared. The variety loves heat and does extremely well in warmer viticultural areas like Dry Creek, Alexander Valley, Contra Costa, Lodi, and Amador. Styles range from terrifically ripe, jammy, highly alcoholic examples, to more structured, claret-style Zinfandel.