ZAP AND COPIA JOIN FORCES FOR A REGIONAL ZINFANDEL TASTING

October 2001, Napa, California---Zinfandel Advocates & Producers (ZAP) and COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts will co-sponsor a tasting at COPIA in Napa on Wednesday, January 23, 2002, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., as part of ZAP's annual Zinfandel Festival. This event will be the first Zinfandel-focused event to take place in the new COPIA complex.

This will be a major new event for ZAP and it will kick off the 11th Annual Zinfandel Advocates & Producers' Festival, which has seen exponential growth since its first year in 1991 (tickets are available from 415/345-7575). Flights of Fancy: A Regional Showcase of 1999 California Zinfandel is an unprecedented tasting, organized into six regional groupings of California growing areas, with six flights of six Zinfandels per region. Spencer Christian of KGO TV will moderate the event, which will feature all of the respective winemakers/principals commenting on their wines and taking questions from the approximately 150 attendees. Docent-led tours of COPIA will be available immediately following the tasting.

COPIA's restaurant, Julia's Kitchen, will prepare a special prix fixe menu for Flights of Fancy attendees. Dinner reservations are limited and must be made no later than January 18, 2002 by calling 707/265-5700.

The seated, non-blind format will require thousands of glasses and will give attendees the opportunity to taste each winery's Zinfandel in its regional context. "We anticipate that the tasters will gain insight into the winemakers' interpretations of the regions and the conditions that contribute to their Zinfandel's regional distinctiveness," explains Robert Biale, a Napa Valley winemaker and President of the ZAP Board of Directors. "Because of the huge and growing interest in Zinfandel, we felt the time was right to introduce a new event to the Festival with an enhanced educational edge to it," he adds. "We are thrilled as could be that COPIA has agreed to collaborate with ZAP on this event which fits nicely into their educational programs. Zinfandel is a vital part of America's agricultural history."

Advance tickets to Flights of Fancy cost $100.00, with $10 discounts for ZAP and COPIA members and can be purchased through ZAP by calling 415/345-7575 or downloading ticket order forms online at www.zinfandel.org.

Zinfandel has a unique spot in American cultural history as well as American viticulture. There are a number of aspects to this: for example, Zinfandel is the only wine grape varietal considered to be unique to the U.S. by the B.A.T.F. It once was the most widely planted varietal in California. Zinfandel is possibly the most stylistically diverse wine made in the U.S.

"We welcomed the opportunity to co-sponsor this educational event," said Peter Marks, MW, COPIA's Curator of Wine. The new privately funded $55-million, 80,000-square foot, stone, polished concrete, metal and glass building, designed by Polshek Partnership Architects, straddles 12 acres on the Napa River at 500 First Street in Napa.

Wines were chosen for Flights of Fancy by a random drawing. Wineries whose Zinfandels will be poured are: from Sonoma---Eric Ross Winery, Everett Ridge Vineyards & Winery, Gundlach Bundschu Winery, Hartford Family Wines, Kenwood Vineyards, Ravenswood; from the Sierra foothills---Amador Foothill Winery, Folie a Deux Winery, Madrona Vineyards, Montevina Winery, Renaissance Vineyards & Winery, Sobon Estate; from Lake and Mendocino Counties---Edmeades, Gabrielli Winery & Vineyards, Mariah Vineyards, Pacific Star Winery, Titus Vineyards, Windsor Vineyards; from Napa---Dickerson Vineyard, Gustavo Thrace, Hendry, Lamborn Family Wine Co., Robert Mondavi Winery, Storybook Mountain Vineyards; from the Central Coast and Southern California---Castoro Cellars, Lions Peak Vineyards, Peachy Canyon Winery, Ridge Vineyards, Rosenblum Cellars, Saucelito Canyon Vineyard; from the Bay Area and the Central Valley---Robert Biale Vineyards, Clayton Vineyards, Cline Cellars, Fenestra Winery, Phillips Vineyards, Turley Wine Cellars.

Flights of Fancy: A Regional Showcase of California Zinfandel is the first in the series of events making up the 11th Annual ZAP Festival. Good Eats and Zinfandel on January 24, 2002, pairs Zinfandel and restaurants' cuisine at Rosenblum Cellars in Alameda; An Evening with the Winemakers: Blue Jeans to Black Tie on January 25, 2002, is an elaborate tasting and dinner at San Francisco's Fort Mason Center with dozens of winemakers and features a silent and live auction which raises funds for ZAP's Heritage Projects, including the University of California, Davis' Heritage Vineyard in Oakville; the final event on January 26, 2002, is the most comprehensive tasting of Zinfandel in the world, 1:00-5:00 p.m. at the Festival and Herbst Pavilions at Fort Mason Center, with over 275 wineries pouring 2000-vintage barrel samples and other releases.

ZAP'S MISSION
The Association of Zinfandel Advocates & Producers is a non-profit, educational organization dedicated to advancing the public's knowledge of, and appreciation for Zinfandel grown in America 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. The benefits of belonging to ZAP include a quarterly newsletter filled with Zin-specific information and notice of events at Zinfandel wineries. To join, email zaprr@sbcglobal.net or fax 530/274-4904 or write P.O.B. 1487, Rough & Ready CA 95975.

COPIA'S MISSION
COPIA is the world's leading cultural center dedicated to the discovery, understanding and celebration of wine, food and the arts. The Center brings the general public and enthusiasts together with leading chefs, vintners and artists to experience and celebrate the synergy of culinary and cultural expression. The Center has been named after the goddess of abundance who embodies the centuries-old connection between wine, food and the arts and represents earth's fertility in the context of life and renewal. To join, call 707/265-5900 or log on to www.copia.org.