Editor's note: Rhoda Stewart is the author of "A Zinfandel Odyssey," published by San Rafael: PWV Inc, 2002

In his Feb. 6 column entitled "Alcohol Ruins Allure of Zinfandel," Dan Berger complained that he was "utterly bored" with zinfandel because it is "too big, too high in alcohol, too Port-like." He came to this realization as he was surveying the thousands of zinfandel lovers lining up for tasty sips of this aromatic, fruity wine at the annual Zinfandel Advocates and Producers (ZAP) event in San Francisco at the end of January.

I find his remarks astonishing.

During my years of researching "A Zinfandel Odyssey," grapegrowers and winemakers alike told me that the reasons for the huge attendance at the annual zinfandel barrel tasting event in San Francisco each January were directly the result of the delicious, ripe, fruity flavors of zinfandel wine made from physiologically mature fruit.

David Jones, owner of Lava Cap winery in El Dorado County, recalled to me how he was despairing of his zinfandel until he attended one of ZAP's barrel tasting events in the early 1990s. There, he discovered the "renaissance of the big, rich, luscious monster zinfandels, which were creating a level of excitement I had never before experienced. People were longing for those rich trend-setting zinfandels reminiscent of the early 1970s," he said.

The Jones family refocused its approach to zinfandel, and by the mid-1990s, Lava Cap zinfandel, a big, extracted wine with over 15 percent alcohol, was winning gold medals.

"Zinfandel is not meant to be restrained, and any attempts to do so simply strip the flavor out of it," added Jones with great energy.

Going back in history, one of the benchmark monster-style zinfandels was Ridge Vineyard's 1970 Occidental Vineyard. "That 1970 Ridge zinfandel had an alcohol content of 16 percent. People still come out of the woodwork for those few that occasionally turn up," remarked vineyard owner Robert von Weidlich.

One of the winemakers who gets much of the credit for resurrecting -- and refining -- this huge style of zinfandel is Helen Turley. "I am looking for very ripe flavors, soft tannins, and full body. This leads to a highly extracted and moderately high to high-alcohol wine (14 to 16 percent), but one that does not taste hot because it is in balance," she said. Joining her brother, Larry, in 1993 as consulting winemaker for his start-up Turley Wine Cellars, she showed him what happened in the Moore Vineyard situated on the eastern benchlands of Napa when the grapes achieved physiological ripeness. "All sorts of exotic, oriental flavors start turning up at 25 degrees and 26 degrees Brix that were not there at lower Brix," she said.

Turley Wine Cellars zinfandels, made by winemaker Ehren Jordan since 1996, are legendary for their ripe, luscious, highly extracted style, with alcohol content usually between 15 percent and 18 percent.

But these big wines make up only a tiny percentage of zinfandels produced today. One of the classic examples of elegantly made, more refined, yet spicy zinfandels are Clos du Val zinfandels.

When Bernard Portet established Clos du Val Wine Company in 1972, he made zinfandel in the claret style of the Bordeaux. "I was not seeking the extraction, but rather was seeking the elegance, the complexity, and the smoky fruit of the wild blackberries. I usually harvested a bit less ripe than most of my colleagues. We maintained that claret approach to our zinfandel from the beginning, and it was a success. So we kept with it."

Joel Peterson, founder of Ravenswood, believes that people can get too hung up on alcohol content in wines. "The object is not the alcohol. Winemaking is about ripe fruit, and alcohol is a product of the ripeness of the fruit. There are many elements that go into the physiological ripeness of fruit. The least important is sugar content. Part of the glory of zinfandel is that it can produce a fair number of exotic styles that are really good. That is part of the appeal of the variety, and what makes it unique."

Paul Draper, winemaster for Ridge Vineyards, summed up his appreciation for zinfandel in this way: "I know of no other table wine that is so purely delicious. Zinfandel has given me more sensuous pleasure than any other wine. Zinfandel is a rich, fruity, spicy wine. It can at times be a side dish to the main course. So if your preference is for a lighter style of table wine, you may find zinfandel a little hard to take."

Following my "Meet the Author" presentation at Napa Valley College on May 3, several Napa Valley zinfandel producers poured their wines. These wonderful zinfandels ranged from 14 percent to over 15 percent alcohol content. All were delicious; no two were alike. The several dozen participants were clearly enchanted.

It seems to me that for one to be bored with zinfandel, one must be bored with life.