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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by PH Solution (talk | contribs) at 17:58, 30 September 2015 (test citation change). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This is a learning page where I will be testing format and references. Any content is not official unless posted on an actual wikipedia page. thanks.

The Zinfandel Advocates and Producers (ZAP) is a consortium of over 200 winemakers and grape growers, as well as thousands of consumers, with the purpose of advocating, preserving, and educating about the Zinfandel grape. Started in 1991, the unique organizational structure of combining wine enthusiasts with wine producers served as a successful template for other wine-related organizations, such as the Rhone Rangers.

The organization’s primary functions are:

  • An annual series of seminars and wine tastings, known as The Zinfandel Experience, which attracts thousands of participants to San Francisco each year.[1][2][3]
  • The Zinfandel Heritage Vineyard Project, a collaboration with the UC Davis enology department, which is dedicated to preserving Zinfandel vines from historic vineyards, identifying the various Zinfandel selections, helping wineries obtain cuttings from the unique Zinfandel selections, and researching growing differentiations in multiple locations.[4]
  • Local and regional seminars, tastings and wine events across the USA, designed to educate consumers, retailers and restaurateurs about the Zinfandel grape.[5]
  • Acting as an active resource for media information and research[6] [7]on Zinfandel.
  • Partnering with the Historic Vineyard Society to preserve and protect old vineyards from being destroyed or neglected.[8]
  • Advocating legislation for recognition of Zinfandel as America’s Heritage grape.[9]
  • Funding scholarships for wine-related studies.[10]

Early History of ZAP and The Zinfandel Experience

The California wine business had a paradigm shift from being known as producing low-cost bulk wine into a region capable of creating world-class wines after the Judgment of Paris in 1976, where a California Cabernet Sauvignon (Stags Leap Cellars) and a California Chardonnay (Chateau Montelena) were judged to be superior to some of the best French Bordeaux and Burgundies by French wine experts at a tasting in Paris. The result was to quickly give credibility to the California wine industry, especially to the classic French varietals of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay[11].

Much of the Zinfandel grapes grown in this period ended up either in jug wines, such as Gallo Hearty Burgundy, or in White Zinfandel, a sweet blush wine made from the red Zinfandel grape. However, there was a small group of dedicated winemakers who saw the potential for making a full-bodied premium wine from red Zinfandel, such as Paul Draper from Ridge Vineyards and Joel Peterson from Ravenswood.[12] [13] Washington Post 2/15/2011

The full-bodied powerful red Zinfandels had developed a dedicated following among wine consumers and interest in these wines expanded[14]. In 1992 a group of 22 Zinfandel winemakers formed the new organization called Zinfandel Advocates and Producers (ZAP) and held a tasting at the Mandarin Hotel in San Francisco.[15] The wineries that participated in this inaugural tasting were Amador Foothill, Burgess Cellars, Chestnut Hill, Cline Cellars, Deer Park, Fetzer, Green & Red, Grgich Hills, Buck Cobb, Karly, Mark West, Meeker, Montevina, Preston, Ravenswood, Ridge Vineyards, Rosenblum Cellars, Santino, Sausal, Shenandoah, Storybook Mountain Vineyards, Sutter Home and Whaler.

The public tasting in San Francisco became an annual event, soon moving to Fort Mason and became known as ZAP’s Zinfandel Festival. With attendees traveling to this event from all over the country, ZAP expanded the Zinfandel Festival into 4 days of seminars and events with the main tasting attracting over 10,000 wine consumers.[1][16] The additional events constituting the Zinfandel Festival included a Winemaker Dinner and Auction, a day of comparative tasting seminars called “Flights”, and an evening pairing event [17] matching dishes from dozens of fine restaurants with dozens of Zinfandels.[18][19] 

As the Zinfandel Festival expanded, ZAP utilized both buildings at Fort Mason in St. Francisco becoming the largest single-varietal wine tasting in the US. In 2011, Fort Mason no longer was able to accommodate the Zinfandel Festival and it was moved to the Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco. SF Chronicle 2/2/2012. In 2014, the concept and name of the festival was changed to Zinfandel Experience, to better reflect changing consumer needs and expectations in tasting events. The Zinfandel Experience was held at the Presidio in San Francisco and became a more intimate event which allowed improved contact with the winemakers and winery owners who came to pour their Zinfandel wines. SF Chronicle 2/7/2015 While the new format was successful with consumers, the Presidio proved to be challenging for a wine tasting event so in 2106, ZAP will be holding the Zinfandel Experience at the newly renovated Pier 27 Cruise Terminal on the Embarcadero in San Francisco.

Another milestone event that was organized by ZAP in 2002 was Zinposium, a series of seminars, tastings, conversations with growers and winemakers, and lectures about the history and current state of Zinfandel. The Zinposium was held at the Doubletree Hotel in Rohnert Park, CA.  Some of the featured speakers were Dr. Carole Meredith (UC Davis), Paul Draper (Ridge), Michael Chiarello (chef), Rayna Green (Smithsonian), Mike Grgich (Grgich Hills) Dr. Edi Maletic and Dr. Ivan Pejic (University of Zagreb), Joel Peterson (Ravenswood), Carol Shelton (Carol Shelton Wines), Charles Sullivan (author and historian), Bob Trinchero (Trinchero Family Estates), and Dr. James Wolpert (UC Davis). (many of these have links on Wikipedia)

The Zinfandel Heritage Vineyard Project

In 1995, Zinfandel Advocates and Producers partnered with the UC Davis department of enology to initiate the Heritage Zinfandel Project. This project had four key goals: 1) Preservation of historical Zinfandel vines, 2) Identification of different clonal selections of Zinfandel, 3) Propagation of a variety of “clean” Zinfandel selections and 4) Experimentation of how the different selections grew in different regions[20]. SF Chronicle 11/13/2003

Preservation- A team from UC Davis visited over 100 Zinfandel vineyards across California in 1995 that were at least 60 years old to ensure the preservation of old vines and potentially unique selections of Zinfandel. These journeys were known as the “Zinfandel Safaris”. They chose 90 selections from 50 different historical vineyards and planted cuttings from those vines in the UC Davis research vineyard in Oakville, California.

  1. Identification- The various selections were tested by Foundation Plant Services (FPS) at UC Davis for differentiation and for viruses. Twenty unique Zinfandel selections that proved virus-free were identified and cuttings were replicated and planted into a larger vineyard at the Oakville research facility.
  2. Propagation- Nineteen different Zinfandel selections (one selection was eliminated) were sent to Foundation Plant Services (FPS) at UC Davis for a “cleaning” process that ensure the resulting vines are completely disease free and certified by the California Department of Food and Agriculture for release to nurseries. This was an important part of the Heritage Vineyard Project, as winemakers and growers who wanted to plant high-quality Zinfandel did not have a good source of various disease-free Zinfandel vines prior to this project.
  3. Experimentation- The newest phase of the Heritage Vineyard Project is to monitor how the different Zinfandel selections grew in different regions. The 19 different Zinfandel selections are now planted in test vineyards in Dry Creek (Sonoma County), Sonoma Valley, and in Paso Robles. The results of this research should help growers select the most suitable selections for various climates. Wines & Vines July 2015 Sacramento Bee 1/8/2

An additional aspect of the Zinfandel Heritage Vineyard Project was to conduct DNA analysis of Zinfandel in an effort to find the origins of the grape. Dr. Carole Meredith at UC Davis worked with the help of ZAP to determine that Zinfandel was genetically identical to an obscure Croatian grape known as “Crljenak Kaštelanski”. Smithsonian Institute   Wine Institute  Chicago Tribune 9/25/1996  SF Chronicle 3/4/2013

Each year, the ZAP board of directors chooses a different well-known Zinfandel winemaker to produce a wine from the grapes harvested from the Zinfandel Heritage Vineyard. The resulting wine is sold at the annual Zinfandel Experience with all proceeds going to help fund the Heritage Vineyard project. Among the winemakers chosen to produce the Heritage Vineyard Zinfandel are Joel Peterson (Ravenswood Winery), Chris Leamy (Terra d’Oro Winery), Scott Harvey (Scott Harvey Wines), Diane Wilson (Wilson Family Winery), Ted Seghesio (Seghesio Winery), Tom Mackey (St. Francis Winery), Dr. Jerry Seps (Storybook Mountain Vineyards), Bill Knuttel (Dry Creek Vineyard), Kent Rosenblum (Rosenblum Cellars), Paul Draper (Ridge Vineyards), Ehren Jordan (Turley Wine Cellars), Rod Berglund (Joseph Swan Vineyards), Matt Cline (Cline Cellars), Robert Biale (Robert Biale Vineyards), and Nils Venge (Saddleback Cellars).

Regional Seminars

ZAP conducted regional tastings and seminars in many cities across the U.S. including Washington DC, New York City, Boston, Chicago Chicago Tribune 11/16/2005, Seattle, Portland, Orlando Orlando Sentinel 4/5/2006 Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Denver, Charleston, Raleigh, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas and Austin. Austin Chronicle 4/20/2001. These tastings allowed wine consumers the opportunity to meet Zinfandel winemakers and learn more about the grape. One of the more unique tastings was conducted in 2003 in a dedicated lounge car on the Amtrak Acela at over 150mph as it traveled from Washington DC to New York City.

Legislation experience

Zinfandel Advocates and Producers has been active in creating legislation to recognize Zinfandel’s historical importance in the California wine industry (reference Sullivan), as well as the uniqueness of this grape as it flourished in America’s soil and climate (Sullivan and others). The first attempt at introducing legislation took place in 1999 with an effort by Congressman Mike Thompson of California’s Fifth District to designate the last week in January each year as National Zinfandel Week. A group of 50 ZAP members flew to Washington DC in July 1999 and were invited to host a Zinfandel tasting for Congressional members and staff in the Capitol building. The legislation did not garner the necessary votes to pass.

The next effort at legislation by ZAP was in 2006 to designate Zinfandel as the “official wine of California”. A bill was introduced by California Senator Carole Migden, but ultimately was vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger due to pressure from wineries producing more well-known grapes, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay. (NYT 6/2/2006, and WineBusiness.com)

ZAP Scholarship funding

Zinfandel Advocates and producers have partnered with different schools to sponsor scholarships and wine-related activities. In 2009, a scholarship was initiated at Sonoma State University for wine MBA students in memorial for Donn Reisen, who was a founder of ZAP and President of Ridge Vineyards.  Press Democrat 9/5/2010  Sonoma State website

Since 2005, ZAP has also sponsored scholarships and provided critical funding for the City College of San Francisco Culinary Arts wine program. The funding provided by ZAP is foundational in supporting and expanding the wine courses taught in the department.

The ZAP Organization

Zinfandel Advocates and Producers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization located in Grass Valley, CA with members across the US and in several other countries, including Italy and Mexico. ZAP is dedicated to advancing public knowledge of and appreciation for American Zinfandel and its unique place in American 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.

References

  1. ^ a b Asimov, Eric (2002-01-09). "Zinfandel Muscles In on the Big Boys". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-09-29.
  2. ^ Melnick, Peg (February 5, 2013). "Standout zinfandels wow ZAP Tasting attendees". The Press Democrat. Retrieved 2015-09-29.
  3. ^ OLKEN, CHARLES (2001-01-03). "It's ZAP for Zinners". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2015-09-29.
  4. ^ Emert, Carol (November 13, 2003). "Vineyard probing roots of Zinfandel". SF Chronicle. Retrieved 2015-09-29.
  5. ^ Daley, Bill (November 16, 2005). "An American pioneer". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2015-09-29.
  6. ^ Penn, Cyril (December 8, 2006). "Thriving middle aged overweight mice drive up wine sales". SF Chronicle. Retrieved 2015-09-29.
  7. ^ Daley, Bill (June 27, 2007). "Zindependence day". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2015-09-29.
  8. ^ "Historic Vineyard Society News". www.historicvineyardsociety.org. Retrieved 2015-09-29.
  9. ^ Marshall, Carolyn (2006-06-02). "An Official California Wine? Not So Fast, Senator". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-09-29.
  10. ^ Halverson, Nathan (September 5, 2010). "ZAP Sends Dollars into SSU Scholarships". The Press Democrat. Retrieved 2015-09-29.
  11. ^ Peterson, Thane (May 7, 2001). "The Day California Wines Came of Age". BloombergView. Retrieved 2015-09-29.
  12. ^ Prial, Frank (1986-03-26). "WINE TALK". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-09-29.
  13. ^ McInerney, Jay. "The Power and Punch of Zinfandel". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2015-09-29.
  14. ^ McIntyre, Dave (2011-02-15). "The state of American zinfandel today". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2015-09-29.
  15. ^ Sullivan, Charles (2003). Zinfandel: A History of a Grape and Its Wine. University of California Press. p. 130. ISBN 0-520-23969-5.
  16. ^ Frith, Stephanie (April 5, 2002). "Long-Scorned Zinfandel". Plainview Daily Herald. Retrieved 2015-09-29.
  17. ^ Gray, Blake (February 2, 2007). "Beating the heat in Zin pairing challenge". SF Chronicle. Retrieved 2015-09-29.
  18. ^ Prial, Frank J. (2004-03-24). "WINE TALK; Taking the Party on the Road". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-09-29.
  19. ^ Sogg, Daniel (February 3, 2006). "ZAP Wrap-up". Wine Spectator. Retrieved 2015-09-29.
  20. ^ Emert, Carol (November 13, 2003). "Vineyard probing roots of Zinfandel". SF Chronicle. Retrieved 2015-09-29.
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