Golden State Grapes


Experience the Art of Zin at Fort Mason


Kent Rosenblum
Artwork by Jerianne Van Dijk

The world’s largest Zinfandel festival, Experience the Art of Zin, takes place Jan. 24-29 in San Francisco. The festival is centered on the grand tasting, a public event at Fort Mason on the concluding day of the festival. More than 10,000 zin lovers will attempt to taste their way through more than 1,000 Zinfandels.
    Zinfandel Advocates and Producers, better know as ZAP, sponsors the weeklong activities. ZAP boasts more than 300 winery members and more than 20,000 consumer-advocate members. Its purpose is to educate the public and the trade about the zinfandel grape. Zinfandel happens to be the second-most widely planted red grape in California and has maintained that status in the Golden State for more than 150 years.
    The origins of the zinfandel grape were a mystery for many years. However, with the advent of DNA analysis, its roots can be traced back to an island off the coast of Croatia and to an island called Cryljenock. Zinfandel is also similar to an Italian varietal, known as Primitivo. Today, zinfandel grapes are widely planted in all grape-growing regions of California and can be found in Oregon, Washington, Mexico and Australia.
    Zinfandel wine often reflects the vineyard and region in which the grapes were grown. However, one can generally expect a fruit-driven wine with flavors of cherries, blackberry, raspberry and currants. Zinfandel also can offer soft and spicy flavors.
    San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has declared the week of Jan. 24-29 as Zinfandel Grape Appreciation Week in San Francisco to coincide with the ZAP festival.
    Zin fans should check out the formal comparative tasting, “Flights: A Showcase of Zinfandel,” at the City College of San Francisco. The tasting is 2 p.m.-5 p.m. Jan. 25 at the Ocean Avenue campus, and it is supported by the Culinary Arts Studies program.
    Another don’t-miss component is the “Good Eats” portion of the festival. Fifty restaurants and 50 wineries will offer spectacular food-wine pairings from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. Jan. 26 at the Herbst Pavilion at Fort Mason. Rub elbows with winemakers at another event, “Dinner with the Winemakers,” at the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental Hotel at 6 p.m. Jan. 27. The dinner is a formal affair, and one winemaker is assigned to each guest table. The week concludes with the unbelievable Jan. 29 Fort Mason tasting.
    For more information on the 14th annual Experience the Art of Zin, Zinfandel Festival, call (530) 274-4900 or visit the ZAP Website at www.zinfandel.org.