The ZAP Experience

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Jan 29th 2007 at 12:10PM

I had been told the ZAP festival in San Francisco is a wine event like no other, a raucous and intense experience. I was eager to have the chance to see 237 Zinfandel producers showing off their best wines in two pavillions. I wasn't alone. The picture above captures the line at around 9:45 am Saturday morning. Nothing like starting off the day with a glass or two or twenty of Zinfandel. I'll be listing the Zins I tasted later but first here's a quick tour around the event.

After entering the hall everyone receives a glass. For the next few hours this becomes your most valuable possession. After all, you can't taste without your glass. You can also get a little doohickey so that you can hang your glass around neck keeping both your hands free.

ZAP water, perfect for when your taste buds are getting burned out.

A baguette becomes a security blanket you can nibble. I spotted many happy wine drinkers clutching their bread in a death grip.

From my vantage point up in the press area I could watch the H-Z pavillion quickly fill with eager tasters.

The silent auction offers lots from some of the best producers.

Up in the press room the wines are grouped together by region for easy access. It's not quite as much fun as going from booth to booth like a bee gathering nectar but it helps you get through the wines a lot quicker.

Later, a look at some of my favorite Zins and a round-up of my favorite late harvest and Port-style Zinfandels.

Jerry Hall from Winewaves took some great pictures of the event for more looks at the wild, wild world of ZAP.

Tags: grapes, san francisco, wine, wine tasting, zinfandel