variants or Zin
plural zins or Zins
often capitalized
: zinfandel
It's fairly delicate in mouthfeel for a Zin, with a light silkiness …Wine Enthusiast Magazine
Americans are hooked on varietal names. So much so that we make cute diminutives out of them, like chard and cab and zin and pinot. For those of you indifferent to the grape, they stand for chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, zinfandel and pinot noir.Frank J. Prial

Examples of zin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Those looking to explore the many types of local wine—from that old-vine zin to the Greek white assyrtiko—would do well to stop by the Lodi Wine Visitor Center. Justin Goldman, AFAR Media, 24 Oct. 2025 It’s best known for its zinfandels, and specifically, its old vine zins (many upward of 100 years old) but is also a major producer of cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, merlot and petite sirah. Nora Heston Tarte, Mercury News, 21 Oct. 2025 Tastes more like a zin with barely noticeable tannins on the finish. cleveland, 15 May 2022 As one’s relationship with wine can evolve from something like childhood romance (in my case, white zin) into something nuanced, special and sophisticated (dry, tannin-rich cabernet), coffee, too, says Moore, has its own gateway. Amy Drew Thompson, orlandosentinel.com, 16 Aug. 2019 The biggest draw of the region is old vine zin, but the 550,000-acre American Viticultural Area or AVA is also awash in chardonnay, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and sauvignon blanc. Nora Heston Tarte, The Mercury News, 6 June 2019 Nearly 140 years since bearing their first grapes, these vines continue to produce, starring in the winery’s estate zins. Matt Jaffe, Los Angeles Magazine, 27 Apr. 2018 Friday, Sept. 15: Heinen's will hold Zinful Friday 6-8 p.m. Six Zins will be poured. Marc Bona, cleveland.com, 29 Aug. 2017 Koenig Vineyards 2014 The Devil’s Bedstead zinfandel, Snake River Valley, $25: This profound wine might be the top zin in the Northwest. Andy Perdue, The Seattle Times, 23 Aug. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1974, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of zin was in 1974

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Cite this Entry

“Zin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zin. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

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