Ah, Zinfandel. How do I love thee? As a food wine, you can pair with everything from salmon to steak to spaghetti, while on your own, you can be a big, jammy glass of goodness.

Indeed, though it’s too sweet a varietal for some, Zinfandel is perhaps the best gateway red wine behind Merlot. It’s not as finicky as Pinot Noir, not as high in tannins or as expensive as Cabernet Sauvignon, and – though I love them – much easier to pronounce than many Rhône varietals. (I actually recently had a server tell me about a featured wine called “moo-vee-deery,” aka Mourvèdre, pronounced “more-vay-druh.)

However, as much as I love the Zins, I can’t hold a candle to the collective membership of ZAP. An acronym for Zinfandel Advocates and Producers, this fervent group not only works to promote “California’s Heritage Grape” throughout the year, but also throws itself a great big raucous party every year in San Francisco at the end of January. Events can range from seminars, to winemaker dinners, to auctions, but the center of the action is the Saturday Grand Tasting.

This year that event was held on January 29, 2010 and – as per usual – it took up not just one but two of the commercial buildings at Fort Mason. That adds up to about 75 wineries starting with the letters A-G pouring in one building, and almost 140 from H-Z in the other. Assuming that each label is pouring an average of three wines, that’s roughly 645 wines!

Clearly, one should have a plan when attending the ZAP Fest. Even if you went only with those starting with the letter “S” you’d have 25 to get through. In the past, I’ve focused on labels such as those organic/biodynamically farmed or those with “old vine” plantings (Zinfandel vineyards typically 50-100 years old).

This year, ZAP made it easier get some traction. They offered “Zin Tracks” in the event booklet which listed participants in nine categories: appellation, old vines, organic (surprisingly with only four labels), single vineyard, woman winemakers, how many generations the vineyards had been family owned, Zins blended with other varietals, by price, and – in true festive ZAP fashion – by the winemaker’s hair color.

I opted to go with women winemakers, though I’d have to give two wineries the award for best wording on the hair color listing: Fields Family Wines said “Brown – when he’s not pulling it out,” and Peachy Canyon Winery wondered “Is bald a color?”

Tasting through the wines of the 20-or-so labels with women winemakers (and yes, there was spitting – a necessity if your palate is trying to survive very long into this type of event), there were several really good wines. A 2008 Dancing Lady Old Vine showed very nice cherry notes, as did the well balanced 2008 deLorimier Stone Ranch. Also of interest was the vine age program of XYZin, which offered bottlings from 10-, 50-, and 100-year-old vines; the younger vines produced a much brighter wine, while the older ones were noticeably more briary with subtler undertones.

However (and I’m sure I’ll be accused of having a biased palate since this is one of my favorite local wineries), the standouts were definitely those of J Dusi Wines, especially the 2008 Dante Dusi – a classic Paso Robles Zin with dark jammy fruit and great balance. Would it be a great food wine? Overall no, unless you’re pairing it with some hearty grilled meats or something with a slightly spicy fruit/wine reduction, but what’s wrong with that menu?

Another thing to like about this label is that the winemaker, Janelle Dusi, is the fourth generation of her respected winegrowing family to get her hands dirty amidst the vines. Their vineyard was planted in 1945, and before Janelle launched her label, the fruit was sold to other local wineries who very proudly celebrated the “Dante Dusi” vineyard designation on their efforts.

Well, it will be another year before I find “Zinspiration” at the ZAP Fest, but until then I’ll continue to enjoy this zinfully delicious varietal at events like the Paso Robles Zinfandel Festival, March 18-20, 2011!

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Speaking of delicious, let me just also say “Tacolicious.” Okay, actually let me shout “Tacolicious”! I discovered this oh so very festive spot in San Francisco last year, and since it was within walking distance of Fort Mason, it seemed an appropriate spot for a palate cleansing margarita after the ZAP Fest.

Don’t get me wrong, the food at Tacolicious is really yummy – especially the braised short rib taco, the ceviche tostada, and the hearty tortilla soup. However, I am still thinking about and obsessed with the “margarita picante.” The ingredients are described thusly on the menu: “el jimador, lime, red chili pepper vinegar.” Yes, you read that correctly -- vinegar.

Of course, upon returning home I had to try and make one at home … okay, let’s be honest, I made several, but only in the interest of experimentation. I made some chili vinegar by steeping dried red chiles in unseasoned rice vinegar, and bingo! Just two parts blanco tequila, 1 part fresh squeezed lime juice, 1 part agave nectar, 1/2 part vinegar, shaken with ice and served on the rocks. (I also made some using a locally produced blackberry and roasted pepper vinegar from Chaparral Gardens – also faboo.)

Now what I’m wondering … these do count as a fruit serving, yes?

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On the way home from SF, stopped for some signature artichoke soup at the iconic Duarte’s Tavern, a fixture in Pescadero since 1894. Next time, we’ll save room for pie too!