A Message from Duane Dappen, ZAP Board President
Hello ZAP Advocates, As we move into 2020, it is hard to believe that ZAP is almost in its 30th year! ZAP was started in 1991 to educate wine lovers about Zinfandel. We have worked hard during those 30 years to help our advocates to love Zinfandel even more, to help media members, both print […]
Legendary Zinfandel Vineyards Video Release
Legendary Vineyards Teaser from Zinfandel Advocates & Producers on Vimeo. The launch of our Legendary Zinfandel Vineyards video series is here! Thanks to our Specialty Crop Grant from CDFA, we are sharing this inspiring view of California’s Zinfandel landscape. These precious vineyards, which represent the perfect marriage of genetic material and environment, are creating wines […]
Updates on Sonoma County – So Grateful to First Responders
Thanks to the unbelievably courageous efforts from the thousands of fire fighters and first responders, the Sonoma County Kincade fire is being contained and residents are returning to their homes and businesses. Thankfully, no lives have been lost. The town of Windsor was saved! One casualty of the Kincade fire has been the historic […]
WHY ARE SPECIALTY CROPS IMPORTANT TO ZINFANDEL?
Trick question—Zinfandel IS a specialty crop! Dairy products, grapes and almonds are all considered specialty crops and play a significant role in the California’s leading agricultural output. Dairy products are at the top of the list of farm receipts at $6.37 billion in 2018, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). Grapes […]
Excellent Zinfandel Begins with Legendary Vineyards
We are excited to launch our new Legendary Vineyards blog series! These fascinating stories are made possible through the help of our CDFA Specialty Crop grant to support the recognition and preservation of these cherished vineyards grown throughout California. Our first author, contributor for the The Daily Meal and Snooth, Gabe Sasso has a long, […]
Honoring Paso Robles Zinfandel Grape Grower Benito Dusi
1933 – 2019 Benito “Beni” Dusi was first and foremost a farmer and a grape grower in Paso Robles and his passions in life were his vineyard, his family, his friends, his greyhounds, and his equipment. Born in 1933, just as Prohibition was ending, in the midst of the Great Depression, Benito’s story begins with […]
Happy 4th of July from ZAP!
4 fabulous reasons to drink Zinfandel on the 4th of July! Celebrating our independence in a meaningful way seems like a great idea. This 4th of July, gather your friends and family and raise your glass to Zinfandel—America’s grape! 1. Zinfandel is the American spirit captured in a bottle! It’s the only fine wine we […]
ZAP Mourns the Loss of Green & Red’s Jay Heminway
Jay Heminway, groundbreaking Zinfandel winemaker and founder of Green & Red Vineyard in Chiles Valley has died from complications following surgery. Jay was always a part of ZAP from our very first tasting held in San Francisco at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in 1992, where he poured the 1989 Green & Red Estate Zinfandel and […]
Zinfandel Stories: Bay Area Video Released!
Grape Growing History and the City Coming Together The vibrant Zinfandel wine country of the Bay Area is a contrast of two dynamic, yet distinct stories that come together in their commitment to Zinfandel. The history of Zinfandel grape growing in Contra Costa is a long and illustrious one that today is once again taking […]
In Remembrance – Dr. James (Jim) Wolpert
1951-2018 Our good friend, Jim Wolpert died in October 2018. Jim believed in making connections between the world of academia and the wine industry directly, serving in the UC Davis Department of Viticulture & Enology since 1985 as CE Specialist in Viticulture and as department Chair for 10 years. He spent a good part of […]