Kicking off ZAP
by Erin Archuleta
Last night the Fort Mason Center Pavilion was packed with what promises to be a weekend-long dedicated group of Aloha shirt-wearing festivalgoers for the “Good Eats & Zinfandel Pairing” dinner kick-off event of the 19th Annual Zinfandel Festival. This year’s fest theme is “Zin in Paradise,” and dedicated nonprofit ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates and Producers) created a totally warm, festive mood amidst the chilly bayside San Francisco location. Celebrity Chef Beverly Gannon of the famous Maui Hali`imaile General Store (think Barefoot Contessa, meets dreamy island beef, pork, and in a cheeky, fun nod to the Mainland, meatloaf) reminded attendees just why we should be booking our next trips to the Valley Isle. Slack-key sounds emanated around the room where close to 50 Northern California and Maui-based restaurants paired dinner bites with 49 wineries showcasing their finest zins.
There was a huge showing from Lodi and Amador counties, as well as some great reserve wines from Sonoma, Napa, and the Russian River Green Valley and Chalk Hill regions. Some feisty pairings included Estate Restaurant’s Mini PB & J Sandwiches filled with zin brushed bacon alongside Gamba Vineyard’s Gold Medal winning 2007 Old Vine Zinfandel, and new Napa hotel AVIA’s kitchen pairing of cherry bread pudding with duck confit topped with a julienned celery root alongside Grgich Hills Estate 2006 Napa Zinfandel. Cutie pie snickerdoodle cupcakes by Sift in Cotati and Napa were sprinkled with gold glitter that almost counteracted the red-toothed grin gained by a pleasant pour from Dogwood Cellars.
The mellow crowd and good times seem to be an indicator of a successful festival to come this week. ZAP expects 10,000 visitors over the course of the weekend, and have planned for over 200 wineries pouring at Saturday’s Grand Tasting. Toss on that Aloha shirt or Mumu, if you’re in the mood, and get ready for an incredible wine tour that drew folks from all over the world to San Francisco for the premier Zinfandels, barrel samples and new releases.
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