Last week, we had the pleasure of attending Epicuria, the exciting commencement of the 2013 Zinfandel Festival. This informal dine-around event provided culinary creations from 50 master chefs paired with 50 Zinfandel wines. There were a LOT of people eagerly waiting in line when the doors finally opened. We may not have tasted everything available that evening but we certainly gave it a good shot, and wanted to share with you the benefits of our efforts. These were our favorite findings at Epicuria on January 31:
Favorite Wines at the 2013 Zinfandel Festival Epicuria
We tasted most of the Zinfandel and Zinfandel-based wines being poured that night, which was made easier by the fact that about half of the wineries were only offering one wine. If you’re looking for ideas on Zinfandels to add to your collection, or to search for in your local wine store, consider the following dozen wineries. At Epicuria, these were our favorite wines of the evening:
Dashe Cellars (Oakland, CA) – 2010 Florence Vineyard Zinfandel
Dogwood Cellars (Healdsburg, CA) – 2010 Primitivo
Dry Creek Vineyard (Healdsburg, CA) – 2010 Old Vine Zinfandel
Gnarly Head Winery (Lodi, CA) – 2011 Old Vine Zinfandel, 2010 Authentic Red (Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petite Sirah)
Hendry Wines (Napa, CA) – 2010 Blocks 7 & 22 Zinfandel
m2 Wines (Lodi, CA) – 2010 Artist Series Zinfandel
Mellowood Vineyard (Fair Play, CA) – 2008 Zinfandel
Mounts Family Winery (Healdsburg, CA) – 2010 Old Vines Zinfandel
Robert Biale Vineyards (Napa, CA) – 2011 R. W. Moore Vineyards Zinfandel
Storybook Mountain Vineyards (Calistoga, CA) – 2009 Antaeus (Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot)
Tres Sabores Winery (Rutherford, CA) – 2010 Rutherford Estate Zinfandel
Troon Vineyard (Grants Pass, OR) – 2011 Foundation ’72 Zinfandel
Favorite Food Offerings at the 2013 Zinfandel Festival Epicuria:
Food options at the Epicuria event ran the gamut from soup to pasta to sliders to cupcakes. Dish components included mushrooms, truffles, sausages, and short ribs. Meat dishes were based on items that had been smoked, braised, barbecued, or prepared as confit. We’ve listed below the offerings we felt were delicious, well prepared, and the most complimentary to the Zinfandel wines being poured nearby. These are the restaurants/food purveyors we were impressed by and will be keeping an eye out for in the future (and we suggest you do the same):

Ricotta-Black Truffle Pansotti from Rose Pistola
Alebrijes Mexican Bistro (Lodi, CA) – Chicken Croquette with Chipotle Aioli
Rose Pistola (San Francisco) – Ricotta-Black Truffle Pansotti with Parmesan Broth & Shaved Black Truffle
Rosso Pizzeria (Santa Rosa and Petaluma, CA) – Braised Short Rib Ravioli
Ruth’s Chris Steak House (multiple locations including San Francisco and Walnut Creek, CA) – Lamb Lollipops
Seghesio Family Vineyards (Healdsburg, CA) – Amarena Cherry & Balsamic Glazed Ribs
Sift Cupcake & Dessert Bar (Santa Rosa, Cotati, Napa, San Francisco) – Gingerbread Cupcakes with Zinfandel Cream Cheese Frosting

Cinnamon Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting from Sonoma Cake Creations
Sonoma Cake Creations (Santa Rosa, CA) – Cinnamon Cupcake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting, and Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, and a Dark Cherry Zinfandel Sauce
The Pasta Queen (Gold River, CA) – Porcini and Truffle in Egg Pasta Ravioli with Roasted Hazelnut and Porcini Alfredo Sauce
Twenty Five Lusk (San Francisco, CA) – Duck Confit Crepe with Organic Watercress, Comte and Dried Cherry Powder
Epicuria was just the beginning of ZAP’s annual Zinfandel Festival, and we suspect many of the attendees also went to the Grand Tasting on Saturday, February 1st. If you were at either event, we’d love to hear about your favorite experiences this year.
Whether or not you attended Epicuria, if the idea of a single-varietal-focused food and wine pairing event appeals to you, there is another one coming up soon in the Bay Area you should seriously consider attending. On Friday evening, February 22, Dark & Delicious Petite Sirah™ provides an amazing wine and food experience with 55 premium Petite Sirah wineries and 30 fabulous Napa and Bay Area restaurants, caterers, and food purveyors. This event takes place in Alameda, but you can only purchase tickets in advance so please go here to read more about the event and its participants.