You have to really love Zinfandel wine to go to this event. Parking is a headache (field day for the meter maids) and with the giant afternoon crowds you sometimes have to claw and kick your way to the front of the line to get your taste of a favorite wine. We are one of the lucky ones who get to go in early at the trade and media session which begins two hours before the public gets their shot. Since most wine drinkers these days are buying wines for under $20, we thought we would concentrate on finding the best Zinfandel wines in that price range. There were three tasters in our group and we probably only got to taste wines from about one-third of all the wineries that were pouring. We did find some gems under $20 and a few that were $21 to $25 that were so good, we had to list those as well. Here are our favorites of the Zinfandel Grand Tasting of 2010. Read the rest of this entry »

ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates & Producers) has become a San Francisco tradition. The 19th annual festival will take place January 28th through the 30th, with several different events scheduled all about Zinfandel wine. Nope, no other wines will be served or can be served at any time. The main event, and the one that seems to bring out every Zin lover in the area, is the Grand Tasting at Fort Mason on Saturday. The event is from 2 to 5 for the general public and tickets cost $59 a person unless you are a member of the ZAP organization, in which case you will pay $49. Over 200 wineries will be pouring Zinfandel in two of Fort Mason’s biggest halls, the Festival and the Herbst. This event attracts 10,000 plus attendees, so if you have never been before you need to be prepared. We have attended for several years and here are my tips on how to get the most out of your $59 ticket. Read the rest of this entry »

The Vintage Wine Tasters met this past Wednesday for their bi-monthly blind wine tasting to taste and judge six Syrah/Shiraz wines priced under $20. Our host was Vintage club member Jim who did an extraordinary job researching and selecting six excellent examples of Syrah wine. As per usual, the wines were bagged and scored using a unique 25-point scoring system. There were four wines from California and two from Australia. Interestingly, the two Australian wines were our first and second choices. The Results:
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This year should provide a great opportunity for finding wine values and bargains. The word in the wine biz is that, with huge inventories building, wine distributors are being very selective of clients, and with many wineries on the brink of financial disaster we should see many a bargain wine out there. Good wine deals go quickly and the old adage “You snooze, you lose” could not be more true than when it comes to wine sales. If you want to take advantage of these coming wine deals, you need to become a wine sleuth.

How to Become a Wine Sleuth

Always peruse the wine shelves wherever you shop. Learn your wine prices. Last week Safeway stores had an amazing sale on Domain Chandon sparkling wine for $10 a bottle or $9 if you purchased a half case. I saw that same wine earlier in the week at Lunardi’s grocery store. The cases of Chandon were displayed like it was a huge sale. It was selling for $21.95 a bottle. Remarkable! Read the rest of this entry »