Zinfandel (also known as
Primitivo) is a
variety of black-skinned
wine grape. The variety is grown in over 10 percent of
California vineyards. DNA fingerprinting has revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the
Croatian grapes
Crljenak Kaštelanski and
Tribidrag, as well as to the Primitivo variety traditionally grown in
Apulia (the "heel" of
Italy), where it was introduced in the 18th century. The grape found its way to the United States in the mid-19th century, where it became known by variations of the name "Zinfandel", a name which is probably of
Austrian origin.