Accidentally on Purpose

BY RICCARDO TARABELSI

One night in the small town of Garfield, NJ, a fire started inside the local sausage factory. In a blink, the building was engulfed in flames. The alarm went out to all the fire departments for miles around. When the first volunteer fire fighters appeared on the scene, the sausage company president rushed to the fire chief and said, “All of our secret sausage recipes are in the vault in the center of the plant. They have to be saved, so I will donate $50,000 to the fire company that brings them out and delivers them to me.”

But the roaring flames held the firefighters off. Soon more fire departments had to be called in because the situation became desperate. As the firemen arrived, the president shouted out that the offer to extricate the secret recipes was now $100,000 to the fire department that could save them.

Suddenly from up the road, a lone siren was heard as another fire truck came into sight. It was the fire engine of the nearby Lodi, NJ volunteer fire department, composed mainly of Italian firefighters over the age of 65.

To everyone’s amazement, the little run-down fire engine, operated by these Italian firefighters, passed fire engines parked

outside the plant, and drove straight into the middle of the inferno. Outside, the other firemen watched in amazement as the Italian old timers jumped off and began to fight the fire as if they were fighting to save their own lives. Within a short time, the Lodi old timers had extinguished the fire and saved the secret recipes.

The grateful sausage company president joyfully announced that for such a super human accomplishment he was upping the reward to $200,000, and walked over to personally thank each of the brave elderly Italian firefighters. A TV news crew rushed in after capturing the event on film. The reporter asked the Italian fire chief, “What are you going to do with all that money?”

“Wella,” said Chief Pasquale De Luccinellavanti, the 70-yearold fire chief, “De fursta tinga we gonnna do isza fixa de brakes on dat truck!!”

I love stories that make me smile. Although a fictitious fable, accidental heroes are sometimes the most memorable ones. In the wine world, one of the most well-known wines in the world was created one day over 40 years ago… by accident.

The first zinfandel vineyards were planted in California in the mid-1800s during the time of the gold rush. Brought by eastern European immigrants wanting to make sure they would have wine to drink, it is one of the oldest wine grape varieties in the US. Zinfandel (or zin) had the advantage of not needing a trellis system to thrive. Gnarled head pruned vines can still be found in the Sierra Foothills and a few other regions. Some of the vines date back over 100 years.

Prior to the mid ‘70s, zinfandel was produced primarily as a red wine. Ironically, it was the introduction of “white zinfandel” that saved the old vineyards from being ripped out as sales of red zinfandel fell when other varieties gained popularity. White zinfandel was discovered quite by accident. A California winemaker, in the process of making a dry zinfandel rosé experienced a “stuck fermentation” where the yeast died before the sugar was fully converted to alcohol. The winemaker liked the resulting sweet wine and the rest is history.

White Zinfandel gets its blush of color from the deep red skin of the Zinfandel grape. When the grapes are harvested, the skins are left on for only a short time, a few hours to a day, perhaps. The weight of the grapes, pressing against each other, extracts a pretty pink-tinged juice. In contrast, a winemaker making red Zinfandel wine will leave the juice and the red skins in contact for days or weeks, producing a deep red juice.

Not all blush wines are equal and here is where White Zin shines. It is made from a quality grape. The Zinfandel grape is known for its luscious deep, berry-fruit flavors and a characteristic spiciness (think “blackberries”) - which transfers to White Zinfandel in a delectable, but less intense manner, than in the red version.

If you are new to wine drinking, try starting with a White Zin, it’s sweet and easy to drink. If you already are a White Zin drinker, I urge you to expand your palate. Try a Moscato d’Asti or a Late Harvest Riesling. Try a new wine today! You never know what you will find accidentally on purpose. Carpe Vino!

Riccardo and Marybeth Tarabelsi own R Wine Bar & Kitchen on the East Bank of Downtown Sioux Falls. They have three sons, Dante, Berent, and Jaxon, and a loving extended family at the restaurant with their staff and guests. Contact Riccardo at riccardo@rwinebar.com.