Seen & Heard at ZAP!

Every year, just before Super Bowl time, Bay Area wine lovers play host to ZAP, the Zinfandel Advocates and Producers event that consumes both halls at the venerable Fort Mason Center.  This year there were slightly fewer wineries than last year, for reasons I can’t quite figure out.  From the plethora of purple teeth I saw, there are still hordes of people who love this particular grape. 

But there were still over 300 producers in attendance.  If each poured just one wine, that would be more than any sane human could hope to taste, no matter how accomplished a spitter.  And I think the average was closer to three wines per winery, so one must approach this event with a sound strategy and the discipline to stick to it.  I’m great at the former. 

But I got distracted by eavesdropping, which is easy to do when you’re elbow-to-elbow and glass to glass…

I had the advantage of three additional hours to taste, as the venue opened from 10 – 1:00 for the trade.  Even then the parking lot was full, and so every attendee had to walk past the Roshambo Tasting Room on Wheels.  Talk a bout a party bus, this is definitely how I would want to pimp my ride!  I got a chance to peek inside, but the interior is still under construction, and photos wouldn’t do it justice.  Let’s just say that this portable tasting room will likely cost as much as some houses (well, not a house in California, but still…)  My hat is off to Naomi, the driving force behind this idea.

But then the fun ended.  At least for a while.  You see that little red sign in the photo on the left?  That’s the front of my registration line.  Really, when there are only three hours in which to taste, couldn’t the organizers be more efficient at processing people (major rant here, breathing fire)?  Of course, they’d likely counter my blow with a weak-kneed jab that sounds something like "well, you could have Prue-registered, as recommended on our website and in the emails we sent you".  An argument that seems immediately farcical to any objective observer.  Then they’d likely hit the mat for the count under the withering blow of my brilliant retort – "Oh"

Lucky for me, garagiste producer Kari Auringer happened by just before the artery in my forehead became visible, and she happened to have an extra entry pass.  We went past the ticket line again 45 minutes later, and the guy in front of me was just getting his ticket.  There but for the grace of Kari go I.

Once inside, one must run the maze of logo glass pick-up, name badge checkpoint, the complimentary coffee (at a wine tasting??!!!) and then the de rigeur baguette to help tame the tannins on these young wines. 

The first taste is always a bit of a shock.  Astringency is a fact of life with most red wines, so I never trust my first sip of the morning – I literally use it as a mouthwash (sans the gargle, please), then use a second sip to evaluate the vino before projecting a dead-accurate stream of wine into the spit bucket (if my fellow by-standers are lucky and I hope to exit unscathed). 

There was some good juice, and a lot of mediocre juice.  Here’s what we saw… 

1. Average alcohol was around 16%.  Zin fans must have hearty livers, or have a legal agreement with a compatible donor.  If said donor is a tea-totaler, he/she can double as a much-needed designated driver.
2. Those few that were in the 13.5% – 14.5% had often undergone the de-alc process, whereby a centrifuge is used to separate the wine into its components, some of the alcohol is removed, and the wine is then re-assembled.  Hardly a natural process, but I must admit it does make these monsters more accessible.
3. Zins from the hottest AVA’s feature a lovely essence of prunes stewed in 100 proof alcohol.  Global warming could work in your favor if you like this style.
4. Many Zins have lost the once-distinctive black pepper spice that many find so alluring.  Thankfully, the focused taster could find some wonderful examples of this style, largely from the cooler regions.

As I write this I’m in discussions with a number of Central Coast producers about adding a Zin or two to our portfolio.  Keep an eye out.

Overheard

1. Laely Heron doesn’t look that short on her video!
2. Hey, I found one with low alcohol – it’s only 15.1%!
3. Let’s get done with our tasting before all the bimbos get here! (one middle-aged man to another during the trade tasting)
4. Let’s finish tasting so we can flirt with the young guys during the public tasting!  (one middle-aged woman to another during the trade tasting)
5. I didn’t know they made Zinfandel in Lodi (!!!!)
6. That was Dave Chambers, his blog is almost as good as Alder Yarrow’s (that former Zin lover now swims with the fishes)

And of course, the Cardinal Zin folks were dressed in red horns and fuzzy tops – quite tame compared to the days when zany Bonny Doon owned the brand, but likely far more profitable in the hands of the creative and capable new owners.  I should have tasted this wine again, but I’ve never been a fan of the product as much as the creative marketing.  Still, it was amusing to see the spin-off themes of (to name but a few) Sin Zin, Lust (Roshambo) and "Let’s get Knotty!". 

With wines at 16% alcohol, I’m sure many did.

Cheers!
Dave Chambers, Wine Merchant
866-746-7293