ZAP Zinfandel Advocates & Producers 19th Grand Tasting
Founded in 1991, ZAP is a non profit organization dedicated to expanding public knowledge of and appreciation for American Zinfandel. The common focus is the preservation and recognition of Zinfandel as America’s wine. ZAP organizes seminars, educational programs, and tastings at wineries and other settings across the United States to explain the uniqueness of the Zinfandel grape. ZAP promotes the continuing research surrounding the origins and history of the Zinfandel grape, and it all culminates at the Zinfandel Festival held the last weekend of January. Tastings started on Thursday evening with the Good Eats tasting where winery’s are paired with restaurants and then on Friday night for a dinner/tasting called Flights. But the most popular event is the Grand Tasting held at Fort Mason on the beautiful San Francisco Bay.
In 1992 I came to the tasting and pour wines for Kenwood Vineyards, the tasting was held in a small room at Ft. Mason and was well attended but nothing like the +5000 people who attended Saturdays tasting. As many events that involve tasting wine and people who are ready to have a good time somewhere along the way it changes from a tasting to a drinking. The Zap organizer’s do a great job plenty of baguette’s of French bread, great selections of cheese plenty of water and dump buckets, but even the most conservative taster has would be amazed at the number of wines to taste. It doesn’t help that there are not many wines under 15.0% alchol.
Here’s a few of the wines that I really enjoyed.
Amapola Creek 06 Monte Rosso & 07 Vina Antiquas, Sonoma Valley
Bedrock Vineyards, 08 Old Vine Blend, Sonoma Valley
Benessere 06 Collins Old Vines, Napa Valley
Franz Hill Vineyard 06 Napa Valley
Haywood Winery 07 Morning Sun & 07 Rocky Terrace
Novy Family Winery, 2008 Russian River Valley
Papapietro Perry, 07 Timbercrest Farms, Dry Creek Valley
Ridge Vineyards, 08 Geyserville, Sonoma County
Seghesio, 07 Old Vine & 07 Cortina, Dry Creek Valley
St Francis Winery 07 Kaaren’s Terrace, Sonoma Valley
Tin Barn Vineyards, 07 Dalraddy Napa Valley & 07 Gilsson, Russian River Valley
Turley 08 Hayne Vineyard, Napa Valley
This is a small list of the wines being offered on Saturday, but these are the wines I stood out to me. Trust me this tasting is not the place to go and decide if you love or hate one of the wines. Zinfandel more than any other variety is produced in many different styles and no where is it more clear than at ZAP. I selected these wines for their balance, meaning that the alcohol was in check they were not cloying sweet, or tasted like Chateau Two By Four. And because they just tasted really good. A good friend asked me once “Why is it that things that are considered defect’s in other wines are accepted with Zinfandel?” My reply was we don’t have to make them that way. It’s not to say that Zinfandel make with high alcohol and still slightly sweet aren’t enjoyable wines, they are just a bit overwhelming, and show better with foods that can stand up to the wine.
If you haven’t been to this great tasting, start training for it. Next year is the 20th anniversary, I am sure it’s going to be epic.
Cheers
Bart
