Zinfandel is California's most versatile and widely planted red wine grape. Depending upon where it is grown and how it is handled, Zinfandel will yield a wide variety of wine styles, ranging from light and delicate (sometimes compared to Beaujolais), to rich, complex and mouth-filling with long aging potential. The gamut includes everything in between, along with rosés (white Zinfandel) and port-type wines. Whatever the style, the wines will have a characteristic spiciness and flavor similar to wild blackberries. The late 1970s saw the American wine consumer move away from red wines in general, California reds specifically, and sales of red Zinfandel fell by over 50%. Zinfandel growers responded by using their grapes to produce a pink semi-sweet wine which they marketed as White Zinfandel and could sell a few months following the harvest. White Zins became the "in" wine and many new wine consumers were unaware that red Zinfandel had ever existed.

During the last several years, the robust red version has made somewhat of a comeback, which is fortunate because it is the best use of the grape. Though Zinfandel has been cultivated in California for nearly 130 years, its origin remained a mystery until recent studies linked it to southern Italy's Primitivo grape. Considering the quality of the grape, it is surprising that it is not grown more extensively outside the U.S. Colors range from garnet to dark ruby. Red Zinfandels are generally dry and match well with a wide variety of straight-forward foods, including pizza, pasta, pork dishes, spiced chicken, barbecued foods, and well-seasoned fowl. Drink at cool room temperature.

Camille says..Flank steak is made more succulent with a flavorful marinade. After grilling, the steak is served with garlic-herb butter. Add grilled potatoes and zucchini and a tossed green salad to the menu. A spectacular finish is sliced fresh peaches over peach ice cream.

1 flank steak, 11/3 to 12/3 pounds
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice, about 11/2 lemons
1/3 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
4 medium garlic cloves, crushed
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 to 4 Tbsp sweet butter

Preparation

Pound the flank steak on both sides with a meat mallet. Place in a large glass dish. Combine lemon juice, wine, teriyaki sauce and garlic in a small bowl; stir and pour evenly over the meat. Cover and let marinate at room temperature for one-half hour.
Meanwhile, light the coals in grill. When coals are hot and glowing, drain the steak, reserving marinade. Grill over hot coals (or broil) until medium-rare, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Let steak stand 5 minutes, then with sharp knife, slice on the diagonal in thin slices.

Meanwhile, transfer the reserved marinade to a small saucepan, bring to a boil over high heat to reduce the mixture to about 1/4 cup. Stir in parsley, rosemary, salt and pepper.
Remove from heat, add bits of butter, stirring until melted. Brush some butter over the steak and serve rest on the side.

Preparation time: about 10 minutes

Cooking time: about 8 minutes for steak, about 5 minutes for sauce

Makes 4 servings.

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