As any local winemaker will tell you, they go to great lengths to produce the right Zinfandel. "I've been fooling around with zinfandel my whole career. I was a cabernet sauvignon guy, too, but all of us cab guys want to try our hand at zinfandel," says Randle Johnson, a consulting winemaker with the Hess Collection. Zinfandel, it turns out, presents challenges even for veteran winemakers.

It's seen as the All-American grape, brought to California around 1849 by Gold Rush miners who turned to agriculture. But critics say it has never earned full respect and it will never make a truly elegant wine or be a "noble" grape like the cabernet sauvignon. Johnson. Johnson and his employer are looking to change that. The Hess Collection will now be working with about 15 independent growers in Amador and Mendocino Counties to produce 15,000 cases a year of Zinfandel. The partnership is seen as beneficial for both parties, who want to see Zinfandel gain in respect and, of course, sales, in the wine market.