ZAP Zinfandel Festival
So this is what I do with myself on a sunny weekend? Plod into a cavernous building, shove a free loaf of bread into my purse and start guzzling California Zinfandel?
Why yes, that's correct. And I even made it home without much of a purple crust on my lips or crazy-colored teeth. I know, I'm classy. I thought the festival might be a snooty affair, but no. Nothing can be snooty when there are women in grapevine bikinis walking around.
I like Zinfandel, but I'm not obsessive like some people. It can just be too much, as though its trampling my taste buds down until I can't process anything but a mixture of ripe, juicy berries and cloves. I suppose I like my wines to be a little less forward. But that's probably because I often spend hours braising meats in complicated arrays of spices and I'm protective of the flavors I've worked so hard to establish, which can get blown away quite quickly if the wine isn't a good match. When it's all said and done, though, it's not hard to convince me to crack open a nice bottle. Of anything, really.
I went alone to the festival because they gave me a free media pass. At first I was bummed, but this allowed me to focus entirely on the tasting and only visit the places I was interested in, instead of engaging in burdensome exchanges such as talking or compromising. So I ended up quite happy. Did I mention that I'm an only child?
So there I was, a woman drinking alone, with a loaf of bread poking out of her purse and a notepad to jot down some disjointed thoughts. That sort of sums up my adulthood. Oh, ok, not really.
Question marks indicate that I don't remember exactly what it was that I drank. (Hey, it happens!) And for the record, the festival helped me understand that what I like are velvety, lush, fruity Zins with some spice. I don't know what the other options are. Tannic? Tobacco? Chewy? Redolent of charred wood and soft pine needles and magic toadstools?
The Robert Biale wines were my all-time, number one favorites. Somebody who knows wine could probably tell me what this means about my tastes. I need someone to read my wine fortune.
WINES I LOVED
Robert Biale 2007 Varozza
Robert Biale 2007 Old Crane Ranch
Cline 2006 Sonoma County Zinfandel
Dry Creek Vineyard 2007 Heritage Zinfandel
Starry Night 2007 The Caboose, Alexander Valley
Storrs 2005 Lion Oaks, Old Vine
Storrs 2005 Rusty Ridge, Old Vine
WINES I LIKED
Amphora 2006 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel
Cline Ancient Vines ?
Saxon Brown 2005 Casa Santinamaria
Saxon Brown Parmelee Hills 2006?
Turley 2007 Old Vines
Woodenhead Old Vine, Martinelli Road Vineyard
Those wines that I didn't enjoy shall remain nameless.
Why yes, that's correct. And I even made it home without much of a purple crust on my lips or crazy-colored teeth. I know, I'm classy. I thought the festival might be a snooty affair, but no. Nothing can be snooty when there are women in grapevine bikinis walking around.
I like Zinfandel, but I'm not obsessive like some people. It can just be too much, as though its trampling my taste buds down until I can't process anything but a mixture of ripe, juicy berries and cloves. I suppose I like my wines to be a little less forward. But that's probably because I often spend hours braising meats in complicated arrays of spices and I'm protective of the flavors I've worked so hard to establish, which can get blown away quite quickly if the wine isn't a good match. When it's all said and done, though, it's not hard to convince me to crack open a nice bottle. Of anything, really.
I went alone to the festival because they gave me a free media pass. At first I was bummed, but this allowed me to focus entirely on the tasting and only visit the places I was interested in, instead of engaging in burdensome exchanges such as talking or compromising. So I ended up quite happy. Did I mention that I'm an only child?
So there I was, a woman drinking alone, with a loaf of bread poking out of her purse and a notepad to jot down some disjointed thoughts. That sort of sums up my adulthood. Oh, ok, not really.
Question marks indicate that I don't remember exactly what it was that I drank. (Hey, it happens!) And for the record, the festival helped me understand that what I like are velvety, lush, fruity Zins with some spice. I don't know what the other options are. Tannic? Tobacco? Chewy? Redolent of charred wood and soft pine needles and magic toadstools?
The Robert Biale wines were my all-time, number one favorites. Somebody who knows wine could probably tell me what this means about my tastes. I need someone to read my wine fortune.
WINES I LOVED
Robert Biale 2007 Varozza
Robert Biale 2007 Old Crane Ranch
Cline 2006 Sonoma County Zinfandel
Dry Creek Vineyard 2007 Heritage Zinfandel
Starry Night 2007 The Caboose, Alexander Valley
Storrs 2005 Lion Oaks, Old Vine
Storrs 2005 Rusty Ridge, Old Vine
WINES I LIKED
Amphora 2006 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel
Cline Ancient Vines ?
Saxon Brown 2005 Casa Santinamaria
Saxon Brown Parmelee Hills 2006?
Turley 2007 Old Vines
Woodenhead Old Vine, Martinelli Road Vineyard
Those wines that I didn't enjoy shall remain nameless.
posted by cindym at 2:39 PM
8 Comments:
"Obsessive," you say? LOL Honestly, I'm impressed--you were WAY more organized than we were. You and Eric. Basically wherever he went, I went to the booth next door, just to be different. I did try that Robert Biale though and I quite liked it -- actually I liked them too, which is a big deal when I'm as tipsy-tired as I was.
We love the Turley too. And the Cline -- have you ever tried their syrah? It makes a spectacular sauce...
honestly, right after you mentioned "there are women in grapevine bikinis" i lost all focus to read & remember the rest of the post, probably because i'm single & valentine's is around the corner... but anyways, do you prefer white wine over red & rose'?
Obsessive? Yes, I admit it. But! As I remember, you were quite happy, on a recent weekend, when I obsessively put a glass of MY all-time favorite Zin in your hands.... ZinAlley, from the hands of Frank Nerelli. Oh yes! I saw your eyes get bigger as that velvety, fruity, slightly spicy gush of purple nectar glided into your mouth.......
I enjoy zinfandel. Doesn't go with most veg food, but that doesn't mean I can't drink it by itself. The Coca-Cola of wines?
Hey there, this is "the woman in the grape vine bikini" that was at ZAP representing 'Haut Art Wines.' I loved your article! Well said. I wasn't sure what to expect as it was my first time at ZAP, but, somewhat to my surprise, I was met with smiles and happy faces everywhere. And what's not to enjoy when you have so many wonderful zins to try and people to meet. Thank you for your mention!
Really!? The GrapeBikiniWoman? That is truly awesome. But next year ask for a shawl or something - it must have been chilly!!
:)
Haha yes, it was a bit chilly at first. But luckily, I was able to sample some wines, which helped raise my body temperature a bit!
You can get the Cline Ancient Vines Zin at Costco here in Seattle. We always keep a bottle or two of that in our wine rack!
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