zinfandel

noun

zin·​fan·​del ˈzin-fən-ˌdel 

variants often Zinfandel

: a dry red table wine made from a small black grape that is grown chiefly in California

also : the grape

Examples of zinfandel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Paso’s Zinfandels are also legendary, offering bold, jammy fruit with plenty of spice. — Emily Price, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025

Olney says more than half the growers Ridge buys zinfandel grapes from have names ending in ‘i,’ including Pagani, which is in a little bowl south of Kenwood where the fog comes in. — Laura Ness, Mercury News, 9 June 2026

According to the latest California Grape Crush Report, zinfandel and other grapes in the Lodi wine region are on the decline. — Carmela Karcher, CBS News, 28 Mar. 2026

Brown came to Napa in 1996, in his early 20s, and the next year got a job at Turley, which was creating a sensation with its lush, muscular Zinfandels. — Senior Wine Critic, San Francisco Chronicle, 19 Aug. 2022

Word History

Etymology

probably modification of obsolete Hungarian tzinifándli, czirifandli, a white wine grape (misapplied to a grape variety of Dalmatian origin), from German Zierfandler

First Known Use

1858, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing zinfandel

• white zinfandel

Rhymes for zinfandel

• bagatelle
• calomel
• caravel
• carousel
• carrousel
• citadel
• clientele
• commonweal
• coronel
• decibel
• demoiselle
• fontanelle