When white is actually quite pink

The happy color of the wine advertises its characteristics. The White Zinfandel is generally a bright, slightly acidic wine with an underlying sweetness that surfaces when it is paired with a variety of food that can range from lamb skewers to perhaps a cheese platter.

It is known as a party wine, which explains why it is the third most popular wine sold by volume in the United States, where it can be said to be a uniquely American-style vintage made from the Zinfandel grape.

By all accounts, it was one of those serendipitous moments in wine-making.

In the mid 1970s, a batch of fermenting red Zinfandel in a Californian vineyard got "stuck" when the yeast added to the wine died before eating up all the sugar. The resulting "problem" juice was set aside and became a sweet pink vintage. The rest, as they are wont to say, is history.

White Zinfandel currently outsells its unadulterated sibling by six to one, and these days, Californian vineyards grow grapes specifically for the White Zin, which is so popular it actually has its own fan club.

Many years ago, my college-mates and I visited the Napa-Sonoma region, where some of the oldest wineries in California are. Our student group had camped out in Yountville and spread out every morning to investigate the valley's scenic vineyards, polishing our viticulture knowledge of reds and whites as the weekend progressed.

By the end, however, it was a blush wine from Sutter Home Estate that captured our imaginations. The rosy hue of the White Zinfandel was aesthetically pleasing in the glass and its strawberry-scented fresh fruit flavors appealed to the budding Bacchuses in the group.

It was a good introduction for the novices, and in the years that followed, our college circuit must have singularly contributed to the blush wine's growing popularity.

I may have graduated to more sophisticated Fume Blanc and perhaps a dry Chardonnay or two in my old age, but the White Zin still brings back lots of blissful memories and I am not averse to quaffing back half a bottle or so in the growing chill of a quiet autumn evening.

The acidity of the White Zin makes it a good companion to stronger meats like beef or lamb. I like it with the cumin-dusted lamb and chicken skewers you can get at every Beijing street corner. The searing heat is soothed by the White Zin's pleasant acidity.

Or, if you prefer a calmer palate, try it with a platter of good cheeses that include maybe a creamy Dutch semi-hard, a wedge of nicely ripe French Brie, an aged English cheddar or a tiny tub of an even more ancient Stilton.

White Zin is drunk young to take advantage of the fresh flavors of stone fruit and berries, and my current favorite is the Beringer White Zinfandel which retails for around 120 yuan. Affordable, and quaffable.