FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Julie Ann Kodmur
707/963-9632 or corking@julieannkodmur.com

ZAP PUBLISHES ZINFANDEL RESOURCE GUIDE
Most comprehensive yet devoted to a single varietal

Fall 1999, Rough & Ready, California---Zinfandel Advocates & Producers has just published a Resource Guide to Zinfandel, a 17-page illustrated booklet which is a friendly and informative "roadmap" for questions about this quintessentially American grape. The text is highlighted with quotations from scholars and experts.

The Resource Guide can be ordered from the ZAP office for $25.00 a copy. The $25.00 is a donation to ZAP's Heritage Projects, which include the ongoing research at the Heritage Vineyard in Oakville. ZAP members receive a discount on purchases. To contact the office, call 530/274-4900, fax 530/274-4904, email zaprr@sbcglobal.net or write P.O.B. 1487, Rough & Ready CA 95975. "The Resource Guide is terrifically useful for getting an understanding of the history of Zin," explains ZAP Executive Director Rebecca Robinson. "We wanted to present lots of information in a friendly format, so that a reader can dip in and dip out, finding whatever is of greatest interest," she adds.

The first section, Zinfandel: The Horatio Alger of American Grape Varietals, How A Grape Can Triumph in the Face of Obstacles & Prejudice, consists of questions and answers about Zinfandel's history and uniqueness. Examples: why is Zinfandel called "America's heritage grape," for instance? How are the terms "head pruning" and "old vines" related to Zinfandel? Is Zinfandel a white grape or a red grape?

The next section is Zinfandel is Fun! Debunking The Myths, which addresses styles of Zinfandel, its flavors and aromas, and affinity with food. Next is Zinfandel in America: A Timeline, which details how Zinfandel came to the U.S. and how it has grown and differentiated itself. For example, not many of us know that Long Island (NY) nursery owner George Gibbs imported several vines of what was then called "Zinfendal" from the Imperial Collection in Vienna and then cultivated them in his greenhouse between 1922 and 1829. The next section provides information about Zinfandel Advocates & Producers, a group unique in the wine world because it welcomes both producers and consumer-enthusiasts. An example of ZAP's educational focus is the creation of the Zinfandel Aroma Wheel, under the direction of Prof. Ann Noble at the University of California, Davis.

The last section, Zinfandel Heritage, details the Heritage Vineyard, an unprecedented collection of rare and famous Zinfandel vine cuttings collected on Zinfandel "safaris" by UC Davis Prof. James Wolpert. The Vineyard, located within UCD's Experimental Station in Oakville, in the Napa Valley, will provide information for growers and winemakers about the uniqueness of Zinfandel for many years to come. The Resource Guide closes with resources---contact information for experts in growing and making Zinfandel as well as authors who've written books about Zinfandel.