Primitivo and Zinfandel are both related to the Croatian grape called Crljenak Kaštelanski. In 2001, ampelographers rediscovered Crljenak on a vineyard near the Adriatic Coast, where only nine vines of this varietal survived the phylloxera blight. There is still some debate about the origin of Italian Primitivo, but the consensus seems to be that it's a clone of Crljenak, which migrated across the sea to the Apulian heel in the 18th century and to California in the mid-19th century. There are many different styles of Zinfandel/Primitivo/Crljenak Kaštelanski, so don't let one bad impression turn you off from a great family of grapes.
