How to Be Patriotic, Wine-Wise

I derive unseemly amusement from the pronouncements I read that the Fourth of July, our most

important national holiday and ritual, requires hearty doses of "that All-American wine, zinfandel."

Friends (and colleagues), zinfandel is about as American as figgy pudding. Or, to keep on topic, as American as cabernet sauvignon, merlot, pinot noir, syrah and, …