Bottoms Up

Alright all you Zinfandel fiends. The annual ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates and Producers) Festival is scheduled for Jan. 28-31 at Fort Mason in San Francisco. You best get your tickets now for all that luscious jammy goodness.

As you know, it is recognized as the biggest event in the world showcasing a single varietal: 10,000 people and 275 wineries will descend on Fort Mason that weekend, and it always sells out.  I’m not much of a Zin girl so you probably won’t see me there. But I recommend skipping the Grand Zinfandel Tasting on Saturday Jan. 31 and instead indulging in the Good Eats & Zinfandel Pairing on the evening of Thursday Jan. 29.

About 60 restaurants and wineries are paired off to come up with carefully executed food and wine pairings sure to bring out the zin in you. After all ,the reason Zinfandel is truly California’s heritage grape is because it can do wonders when slapped against braised and barbecued meats.

All I have to say is that Zin specialist Carol Shelton and Lark Creek Cafe have got me dreaming about their Braised Pork Shoulder with Butternut Squash and Cipollini Onion Ragout. Nuff said.

The only downer is the price ($125 for non ZAP members). I’d imagine that’s a problem for most people right now. If so, go with the Grand Tasting for $59.

Happing Zinning!