Don's Gillette's Weekly Wine Blog
Weekly musings from our store's resident wine guru
Don has over thirty years experience in the wine industry. For the last eighteen years his attention has been focused on the growing local industry. Don has a large following of customers who search out his opinions (never in short supply!) on new releases and on what's currently most distinctive on our shelves. Others seek his insights on wineries and trends that are still under the radar. Check back here each week for Don's latest thoughts on various wine-related topics. Read Don's full bio...
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Zapped Again - Part One
It was January 26th. Five NVWE stalwarts gathered at two piers just north of the Golden Gate. They came prepared with notebooks, pens, cell phones and determination. It was time to belly-up to the bar and test the new Zinfandels. It was time for Zap, San Francisco's annual prelude to the Super Bowl, the wine-guzzlers equivalent of the OK Corral.
As usual, 250 to 300 wineries showed up to pour at Fort Mason Center, most bringing more than one wine. Even with 5 of us attending it was a task that needed a bit of strategy, so Frank, James, Zoe, Sylvester and I didn't enter like Doc Holliday and the Earps, we arrived separately and scattered to the corners of the two halls. Frank had prepared a must-taste list (of new or perennially good Zinmeisters) and each of us carried his assigned piece of it.
My plan was to cover my part of the list; then go taste my favorites; then contact my coworkers to hear about their discoveries; and then track down those wines before leaving. I always grab an extra Zap catalog before I go, so back at the Ranch, I can use it to assemble a list of everyone's favorites. Using that list, James and I call for sample bottles, so we can stage a re-taste at the store.
This was an exceptionally well run and productive tasting, both easy to navigate and full of exciting bottlings. There is no need to mention the disappointing wines. I will break the list of successful wines down into categories, but it is a long list, so I will run it into two blogs to spare everyone's eyes and keep readers awake.
I will group together the best of the:
"Usual Suspects"
"New or Obscure", but noteworthy wines
"Ringers" (Dessert bottlings and Petite Sirahs snuck into the tasting)
Next week, the full list of goodies...