Food and Zin at Its Finest

The cavernous Fort Mason Center stretched before the Chef and I as we entered last night. Rows of tables full of tempting food and luscious Zinfandel invited with the warning that without caution we could find ourselves prematurely full and drunk before we were able to experience the best the evening had to offer. Right off the bat Knickerbocker Catering's Wild Boar Sliders delighted with a sensuous robust sweetness that set the evening into motion. The first Zin that I fell for was Acorn's 2006 Heritage Vines Zinfandel. With an irresistible blend of 78% Zinfandel, 10% Alcante Bouschet, 10% Petit Sirah and 2% Field Blend I was drawn in. A rich bouquet of ripe berries and fresh ground pepper with toasty vanilla notes was delightful, the depth of flavor took me off guard with deep blackberry intertwining with cocoa, coffee and spicy black pepper. Betsy and Bill Nachbaur were sweet and inviting and responsible business owners with their estate grown, sustainably-farmed wines. Moving on I came across Klinker Brick Winery. Right away there was something interesting about the labeling of their Old Ghost wine, so like a good reporter I decided to investigate! Their 2007 Old Ghost is available for sale, but they had brought some bigger guns out of the arsenal venturing into their thrilling library to delight me with their 2005 and 2006 Old Ghost which are not available for purchase. Each vintage of this old vine zin was unique in its own right. The 2005 had a surprisingly dry finish which I found to be refreshing with all of the overly powerful and jammy zins that I was faced with throughout the evening. The 2006 was by far my favorite vintage which I found to be true for many different wine brands. The Old Ghost 2006 was a little bit lighter on the palate with a breathtaking medley of brambleberries, spiced cherries, mint and even notes of effervescent eucalyptus and licorice on the end. Mustards was there with a lovely Pork Tostada with Spicy Salsa. This was absolutely succulent and paired with the deep red fruits of Outpost Estate Wines was a knockout! Thursday night was packed with impressive food and wine, it is an event that I will look forward to next year.

Other Zap Events

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. Flights will cover the history of the Zinfandel varietal and current trends in the production of Zin including blending. This promises to be luscious in both information and good Zin!!

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). Dinner followed by a Live Auction and of course lots of Zin sounds like a Zinstravaganza to me!

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). This will test how much Zin the Chef and I can handle after a weekend of drinking Zin! Based on our shared love of Zinfandel I think we will come out victorious.

Stay tuned for coverage of Good Eats & Zin, Flights and the Grand Zin Tasting. Hope to see you there!!

Good Eats at ZAP!

On January 28, 2010, from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. at Fort Mason Center you will find me drinking Zinfandel and eating delicious food executed by a slew of talented chefs. Color me excited when 50 Bay Area restaurants pair their food with 50 wineries. Zinfandel or the delicious full bodied red wine that comes from those adorable fat stubby little vines just so happens to be one of my favorite varietals. Needless to say I will be in foody/Wine-O heaven this weekend. Tickets are still available through www.zinfandel.org or 877-772-2545 for all of this weekends events. Some of the pairings that get me the most excited in the Good Eats & Zinfandel pairing are ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING from famed Hawaiian chef Beverly Gannon, the proprietor of the Hali'imaile General Store. Chef Gannon will bring to the table dishes such as succulent Crab Cannelloni with Saffron Cream Sauce and Joe's Favorite Meatloaf with Hawaiian Sweetbread Role. She will be pairing with Zins from Three Wine Company & Peachy Canyon Winery. Some other exciting looking dishes are Pork Rillette with Pickeled Red Onions and Saba from Rose's Cafe and Beef Braised in Dry Creek Old Vine Zin Served Over Polenta... these are just some teasers but come see for yourself this Thursday!

Stand With Haiti

One of the poorest countries in the world has suffered a grave disaster and I believe that it is our moral duty to do something about it. Unfortunately in times of crisis some of the most visible organizations are the ones allocating funds to marketing and PR and not to solving any problems. A few even profit from tragedy. One organization that I have followed for years that is making a dramatic difference is Partners in Health(PIH), an organization founded by Dr. Paul Farmer. For over 20 years PIH has been running free clinics all around the world, the first in Haiti's Central Plateau- one of the poorest parts of Haiti. He believes that medical care for those who need it most should be free and that life saving drugs should be free. After the earthquake because of their deep seeded involvement in Haiti, PIH was one of the first organizations to respond, mobilizing to ship in doctors and medication to confront the tragedy head on. Chef's Lover Catering has donated to PIH and I urge you to do the same if you are looking for a credible organization that will use your donation for good. They have long term plans to rebuild a stronger Haiti, and Chef's Lover Catering, myself and Alex (the Chef) support them wholeheartedly. Stand with Haiti in this time of crisis.