This weekend is the ZAP Festival (Zinfandel Advocates and Producers), so this is probably not a good time to admit that zinfandel is not one of my favorites. I find so many of them to be food-killers: big, jammy, high-alcohol fruit bombs that blow out your palate. Look at the food pairings recommended for most zins and you'll find a lot of sweet barbeque sauces, even actual sweets like chocolate.
As the child of a Spaniard, I was taught from an early age never to drink wine without eating something, even a bowl of olives or nuts. A bowl of m&ms just doesn't have the same appeal. (Describing a similar sentiment regarding overblown cabernets in a recent column, Dan Berger argues, "what, and ruin a good chocolate?". )
At Gundlach Bundschu, we talk a lot about how food-friendly the estate zinfandel is, due to the cool climate of our vineyard. The zinfandel comes from one little block planted in 1976; huge, sprawling vines that grow alongside Jim Bundschu's house are notoriously difficult to farm and inconsistent in their yields. But they produce a zin unlike any other I've tried. Sure it is a big wine, but it has intense aromas and flavors of white and black pepper and lots of acidity to balance out the rich fruit flavors. We tend to recommend it with grilled meats in the summertime, but this time of year, my ultimate cold-weather pairing is the zinfandel with short ribs.
Given the hundreds of zinfandels being poured at Fort Mason this weekend, most north of the 15% alcohol mark, here is hoping that there is plenty to eat for the tasters at ZAP - fingers crossed for a good supply of hard cheeses and bread!
