ZAP, the organization devoted to Zinfandel is having its 19th Annual Festival in San Francisco this month. And as a reader of Gabe's View you have the chance to win two free tickets for the Grand Tasting on Saturday January 30th. All you have to do to enter is send me an e-mail and tell me what your favorite Zinfandel is. Use the "Contact Gabe" form at the top of the page to e-mail me. Make sure you include your e-mail address and name. The contest ends at 11:00 PM Eastern on Sunday January 24th, 2010. I'll randomly pick a name from all the entrants and get in touch with you to arrange the tickets the week of January 25th. Cost of the tickets is $59 per ticket for non ZAP members. Good Luck! If you want a second chance to win (a different set of tickets), you can enter at Drink Dry Creek too, using the "e-mail Gabe" form there. What follows is ZAP's press release about the event:
ZAP CELEBRATES 19TH ANNUAL ZAP FESTIVAL 2010 Zin in Paradise features celebrity chef Beverly Gannon
Rough & Ready CA, January 2010----The 19th Annual Zinfandel Advocates & Producers Festival takes place January 28-30, 2010, in San Francisco. The Festival will ‘headline’ Chef Beverly Gannon, one of the founders of ‘HAWAI`I regional cuisine.’ Chef Gannon is the proprietor of Maui’s world famous Hali`imaile General Store and possibly the most well-known chef in Hawaii. She will develop the “HAWAI`I regional cuisine” menu for Dinner With The Winemakers as well as prepare a signature Hawaiian dish for Good Eats & Zinfandel Pairing; she will also be visible throughout the three days of the Festival and her new cookbook, Home Style Meals at The Hali`imaile General Store, will be for sale. To order tickets call 877/772-2545; tickets can be purchased online at www.zinfandel.org. “Meet” Chef Gannon in a series of Skyped-video chats now online on ZAP’s website. Bev explains the magic of Zinfandel from her perspective and gives you a few hints about the Festival. Chef Gannon’s dinner menu for Evening With The Winemakers will consist of Asian Duck Tostada; Blackened Ahi With Sweet Thai Chili Sauce, Wasabi Micro Greens, Tobiko, Mashed Potato In Filo Cup; Smoked Salmon Pinwheels With Chipotle-Chili Fresh Fruit Salsa; Kalua Pork And Goat Cheese Won-Tons With Mango Chili Sauce; Terrine Of Foie Gras, BBQ Eel, Potato Pineapple Compote, Vanilla Syrup And Spicy Micro-Greens; Lamb Shank Cannelloni With A Poached Fig Demi-Glaze Double-Cut Lamb Chop, Lavender Honey Glazed Baby Carrots and Chocolate Macadamia Nut Tart (http://www.zinfandel.org/default.asp?cid=1&n1=14&n2=473#12607) and for Good Eats & Zinfandel Pairing, she’ll be preparing her Signature Crab Cannelloni with Saffron Cream Sauce and Joe's Favorite Meatloaf with Hawaiian Sweetbread Roll from the Hali’imaile General Store (more at http://www.zinfandel.org/default.asp?n1=14&n2=472&member=). The ZAP Festival will include more than 200 Zinfandel-specialist wineries from all across California pouring their barrel samples and new releases for over 10,000 enthusiasts during three days at four separate events. There will be silent auctions during three events - Good Eats & Zinfandel Pairing, The Grand Zinfandel Tasting, and Evening with the Winemakers; proceeds support ZAP’s Heritage Vineyard projects. Good Eats & Zinfandel Pairing takes place on January 28, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. at Fort Mason Center (Marina Blvd. at Buchanan, San Francisco 94123). Approximately 50 restaurants will pair with wineries. Tickets for non-ZAP members are $125; for ZAP members, $95. A list of the participants and matches can be found at http://www.zinfandel.org/default.asp?n1=14&n2=472&member=. Some tickets may be available at the door, but it is recommended to buy tickets in advance. Chef Bev Gannon’s Crab Cannelloni with Saffron Cream Sauce, Chef Gannon’s Meatloaf With Hawaiian Sweetbread Roll, Filet Mignon Tartare, Curried Goat with Mango Chutney, Duck Strudel, Sweet Potato Timbale Filled With a Trio of Cheese, Wild Boar Sliders with Caramelized Red Onion Marmalade, Lamb Lollipops, “Great Balls of Fire” and more….Some of the Good Eats participants are Acorn Winery/Alegria Vineyards with Zin Restaurant & Bar; Alderbrook Winery; Artezin Wines with Knickerbockers’ Catering; B.R. Cohn Winery with Preferred Sonoma Caterers; Barefoot Cellars with Sonoma Cake Creations; Barefoot Cellars ‘2;’ Barnard Griffin Winery; Blaauwklippen Vineyards with Radio Africa Kitchen; D-Cubed Cellars; Deep Purple Winery; Dogwood Cellars; Dry Creek Vineyard with The Peasant & The Pear; Edmeades Winery; Four Vines Winery; Gnarly Head Cellars; Grgich Hills Estate; Guglielmo Winery; Hartford Family Winery; J. Rickards Winery & Vineyards; John Tyler; Klinker Brick Winery; Marr Cellars; Mounts Family Winery; Outpost Estate Wines with Mustard’s Grill; Murphy-Goode; Peachy Canyon Winery with Hali`imaile General Store; Peirano Estate Vineyards; R& B Cellars; Rancho Zabaco Winery; Ravenswood; Ridge Vineyards with Lark Creek Steak; Rockwall Wine Company with Angela’s Bistro; Rosenblum Cellars with Miss Pearl’s Jam House; Saddleback Cellars; Sausal Winery with EOS Restaurant & Wine Bar; Scott Harvey Wines; Sextant Wines; St. Amant Winey with A Chef For You; St. Francis Winery & Vineyard; Terra d’Oro-Trinchero Family Estates with Taste; Three Wine Company with Hali`imaile General Store; Tin Barn Vineyards; Van Ruiten Family Winery; Z-52. Flights: A Showcase of Zinfandels, a seated tasting with in-depth seminars focusing on limited-production Zinfandels, takes place on January 29 from 10:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., at The InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel’s Peacock Court (1 Nob Hill, San Francisco, 94108, 415/392-3434). Topics will include the role of blending in the world of Zinfandel. Tickets for non-ZAP members are $80; for ZAP members, $65. Tickets are available only in advance and not at the door. Flights will focus on the history and heritage of Zinfandel, also delving into the latest Zinfandel trends and the timely topic on the art of blending. Five top Zinfandel winemakers will each present a quintessential Zinfandel: Eric Baugher (Ridge Vineyards), Matt Cline (Three Wine Company), Jeff Cohn (JC Cellars), Steve Hall (Robert Biale Vineyards) and Morgan Peterson (Bedrock Wine Company). Each panelist will also feature a proprietary Zinfandel-based red wine, blending other grapes with California’s heritage wine, to produce wine styles with flavors from casual to sophisticated. A buffet lunch will follow the tasting.
Evening With The Winemakers: A Benefit Live Auction & Dinner, takes place on January 29 beginning with a reception-tasting at 5:00 p.m., at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco (1 Nob Hill, San Francisco 94108, 415/392-3434). Tickets are $260 for non-members and $210 for ZAP members, available only in advance and not at the door. Participating wineries are Alderbrook Winery, Artezin Wines, Cakebread Cellars, Charter Oak Winery, D-Cubed Cellars, Dogwood Cellars, Edmeades Winery, Four Vines Winery, JR Wines, Mazzocco Winery, Peachy Canyon Winery, Ravenswood, Ridge Vineyards, Robert Biale Vineyards, Rosenblum Cellars, Saddleback Cellars, St. Francis Winery, Starry Night Winery, Terra d’Oro-Trinchero Family Estates and Three Wine Company. Continuing updates are at http://www.zinfandel.org/default.asp?n1=14&n2=473&member= The reception will include the opportunity to taste, for the first time, the 2008 Heritage Vineyard Zinfandel (made from ZAP’s experimental vineyard by Tom Mackey of St. Francis Vineyards & Winery). Guests will then enjoy a feast prepared by ZAP’s celebrity chef, Beverly Gannon; guests are seated with a winemaker host at their table. Proceeds from the silent and live auctions benefit ZAP’s Heritage Projects, preserving the historical and viticultural significance of America’s heritage wine. The 19th Annual Grand Zinfandel Tasting takes place on January 30 from 2:00 until 5:00 p.m. at the Festival and Herbst Pavilions at Fort Mason (Marina Blvd. at Buchanan, San Francisco 94123). Tickets for non-ZAP members are $59; for ZAP members, $49. Over 200 wineries will pour their wines; a list of participating wineries can be found at http://www.zinfandel.org/default.asp?n1=14&n2=474&member=. There will be a silent auction based at the Festival Pavilion from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., benefiting ZAP’s Heritage Projects. Participating wineries listed at http://www.zinfandel.org/default.asp?n1=14&n2=474&member=. A ticket to all four events for a ZAP member is $419; for a non-member, $524. A VIP package (for 2) is available at $995—this consists of tickets to all events plus a number of additional benefits including a bottle of The Heritage Vineyard Zinfandel. “The world of Zinfandel is full of surprises and out-of-the-box thinking,” says Rebecca Robinson, ZAP’s Executive Director. “Since Zinfandel lovers are always looking for new adventures, we anticipate that Chef Gannon’s headlining the Festival will energize wineries and attendees alike,” Ms. Robinson adds. More about Ms. Gannon: bevgannonrestaurants.com. Continuing updates on events as well as ticket purchasing at www.zinfandel.org. Visit zinfandel.org, zinworld.org to join in the enormous online world of Zinfandel lore and socializing or join that conversation at Twitter (http://twitter.com/ZinfandelOrg), Facebook (Facebook/ZAP-Zinfandel. The Association of Zinfandel Advocates & Producers (ZAP) is a non-profit, educational 501(c)(3) organization. ZAP is dedicated to advancing public knowledge of and appreciation for American Zinfandel and its unique place in our culture and history. Winegrowers, winemakers and wine enthusiasts combine to form the membership. The common focus is the preservation and recognition of Zinfandel as America’s heritage wine. ZAP’s membership includes approximately 300 winery-members, 6,000 advocate-members and 50 associate members.