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Red, white and blush. Zinfandel grows well in California’s warm-but-not-too-hot climate, especially in regions like Sonoma and Napa. The grapes are thin-skinned and grow in big bunches, but they sometimes ripen unevenly and can contain a high amount of sugar. Most Zinfandel is made into big, rich, full-bodied red wines that can hold levels of alcohol that exceed 15%. Part of the reason for Zinfandel’s richness is that some winemakers “bleed” off some of the pale juice at the early stage of fermentation to make a rosé called white Zinfandel, or ”blush” wine. (Click here to read last week’s Wine 101 on rosé wines .) The intense juice that remains is turned into red Zinfandel. Zinfandel can also be left to ripen far into the season before it’s picked, creating a sweet and very alcoholic wine. A handful of makers even make Zinfandel Port — a fortified wine — from these mature grapes.

A cheap trick? Critics often deride Zin for producing alcohol-bomb reds with heavy berry-jam flavors and cheap, cloyingly sweet rosés. Others say Zinfandel isn’t a “serious” wine — that is to say, it’s not a complex wine that inspires long debates like, say, top Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay from California. But despite the derision, the beauty of Zinfandel is its versatility — the grape lends itself to a variety of styles of wines, from blush to red and ports. And because of its lowly critical reputation, it’s a far cheaper wine to drink, even at the top end. The tip is to avoid the ultracheap swill and to seek out wines that come from careful growers with the oldest vines — the older plants produce better fruit, which in turn means top wines. Many of these old vines are in Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County. Try a few Zins from this region and form your own opinion.