zinfandel festival

This year's ZAP Festival sponsored by Zinfandel Advocates and Producers (ZAP) celebrates 20 years of "inspiration." The annual festival takes place each winter in San Francisco. This year's ZAP festival takes place from January 27-29th.

This year's festivities include rising cooking star Nadia G who has a show, Bitchin' Kitchen on the new Cooking Channel. Nadia G kick off the festivities at Good Eats and Zinfandel Pairing on January 27th at 6:00 p.m., doing a demo in The Zin Kitchen, where she'll cook up a storm in cherry-red stilettos. On January 28th, she'll take part in the Evening with the Winemakers, and on January 29th, she'll cut the ribbon and blog live at the Grand Zinfandel Tasting event beginning at 2:00 p.m.

The ZAP 20th Annual Festival presents four events in three days with around 250 wineries showcasing Zinfandel, America's Heritage Wines. Producers pour their barrel samples and new releases during educational seminars, culinary demonstrations and food pairings culminating in the Grand Tasting at Fort Mason Center, San Francisco. Tickets are $70 for non-ZAP members and include your ZAP wine tasting glass (and a much-needed mini loaf of bread). Then get ready for all the Zin you can handle. More details about this fun and festive event are available at the ZAP website.

Zinfandel, California's heritage grape, gets its own celebration each winter in San Francisco. I've had the pleasure of attending the ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates & Producers ) tasting before and I have a few words of advice: pace yourself, take advantage of the bread and water, and learn to spit. The festival and surrounding events allow you to really sink into the pleasures of a single varietal as expressed by vineyards throughout the state. The variety of red Zinfandel wines is dizzying at first (and also later after a few rounds of tasting) but its an amazing experience and a chance to meet many of the producers behind some of your favorite Zinfandels.

The 19th Annual Zinfandel Advocates & Producers Festival takes place January 28-30, 2010 and will headline chef Beverly Gannon, the proprietor of Maui's Hali`imaile General Store and one of the most well-known chefs in Hawaii. She will develop the menu for Dinner With The Winemakers as well as prepare a signature Hawaiian dish for Good Eats & Zinfandel Pairing. The theme for this year's event is Zin in Paradise.

The Good Eats & Zinfandel Pairing takes place on January 28, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. at Fort Mason Center and approximately 50 restaurants will pair with wineries. Chef Gannon will be preparing her signature crab cannelloni with saffron cream sauce and Joe's favorite meatloaf with Hawaiian sweetbread roll from the Hali'imaile General Store. Tickets for non-ZAP members are $125; for ZAP members, $95.

Flights: A Showcase of Zinfandels, a seated tasting with in-depth seminars focusing on limited-production Zinfandels, takes place on January 29 from 10:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Tickets for non-ZAP members are $80; for ZAP members, $65. Flights will focus on the history and heritage of Zinfandel, also delving into the latest Zinfandel trends and the timely topic on the art of blending. A buffet lunch will follow the tasting.

Evening With The Winemakers: A Benefit Live Auction & Dinner, takes place on January 29 Tickets are $260 for non-members and $210 for ZAP members, available only in advance and not at the door. The reception will include the opportunity to taste, for the first time, the 2008 Heritage Vineyard Zinfandel (made from ZAP's experimental vineyard by Tom Mackey of St. Francis Vineyards & Winery). Chef Gannon's dinner menu for Evening With The Winemakers will consist of Asian duck tostada; blackened Ahi With sweet Thai chili sauce, wasabi micro greens, tobiko, mashed potato In filo cup; smoked salmon pinwheels With chipotle-chili fresh fruit salsa; Kalua pork And goat cheese won-tons with mango chili sauce; terrine of foie gras, BBQ eel, potato pineapple compote, vanilla syrup and spicy micro-greens; lamb shank cannelloni with a poached fig demi-glaze double-cut lamb chop, lavender honey glazed baby carrots and chocolate macadamia nut tart.

Finally the 19th Annual Grand Zinfandel Tasting takes place on January 30 from 2:00 until 5:00 p.m. at the Festival and Herbst Pavilions at Fort Mason Tickets for non-ZAP members are $59 ($69 at the door); for ZAP members, $49. Over 200 wineries will pour their wines. Each attendee receives a commemorative wineglass (to use and keep) as well as a baguette upon entering (trust me, you'll need it). Water, coffee, cheeses, breads and fruits are available throughout the two pavilions of wine booths which are arranged alphabetically.

A ticket to all four events for a ZAP member is $419; for a non-member, $524. A VIP package (for 2) is available at $995-this consists of tickets to all events plus a number of additional benefits including a bottle of The Heritage Vineyard Zinfandel.

We are giving away two pairs of tickets to the 19th Annual Zinfandel Advocates & Producers Tasting on Saturday, January 30 at Ft. Mason.

To win leave a comment on your favorite red Zinfandel. Two winners will be chosen at random (21+ only).

Some other important details:

* To enter, leave a confirmed comment below.
* The comment must be left and confirmed before Friday, January 22, 2010 at 5:00PM Eastern Time.
* You may only enter once.
* Two winners will be selected in a random drawing.
* Two winners will each receive a pair of tickets to the ZAP Festival Tasting on January 30 at Fort Mason in San Francisco. Total value of the tickets is $118. Tickets can be picked up at the press/registration table at the entrance.
* Transportation to/from the ZAP Festival is NOT included in the prize.
* Please only enter if you know you can make it to the event.
* Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia who are 21 and older (keep reading for the rest of the rules).

This contest is now closed. Thank you for your participation.

When I told a man at the ZAP festival that I was focusing on late harvest Zinfandels and port-style wines he blanched as if I had casually said that I prefered licking the floor of the Fort Mason pavillion to tasting Zin. "I'm trying to stay away from that stuff," he said.

I explained that I had tasted other wines first but I felt a bit of censure. When I went to the tasting booths people often looked a bit surprised when I informed them I was there for the Port or the late harvest Zinfandel. In general people tend to stay away from these wines at tastings perhaps in order to not get too tipsy, perhaps because they think the sugar might mute the palate. I think they are really missing out. The chance to taste a wide variety of dessert wines is a rare and precious experience.

One of my favorite things in the world is to bring my deep dark chocolate cake and a Port-style dessert wine to a dinner party, I always delight in finding new sweet wines that are not just a big dose of sugar but also capture the complexities of the grapes used. I've heard the argument befofre that most dessert wines are all alike but I disagree.

My favorite of the day has to be the Matzin from Vino Con Brio because to me it represents the quailities I associate with zin, the big blackberry and pepper notes, the sense of brambly wildness, while still having sensuous sweetness that makes it a great dessert wine. If I were showing up somewhere with a bottle, I might spring for the EOS Port which has a lovely pewter label and is just as lovely on the inside. After the jump, my favorites of the sweet stuff.