Zinfandel Advocates Plan Sales Push
Zinfandel Advocates & Producers (ZAP) said it will collaborate with vintners and chefs across California's Zinfandel growing regions to create its newest program, Zinfandel Live.
This program will tell the Zinfandel story through a series of engaging online episodes featuring the ultimate in Zinfandel pairings, seminars, cooking demonstrations, recipes, winemaker interviews and tastings aimed at broadening the Zinfandel fan base and connecting consumers directly to producers.
The campaign will launch at the annual ZinEX in January – a three-day wine and food festival that is one of the only events dedicated to a single grape variety. Zinfandel Live will premiere at ZinEX with a video trailer to feature the program's launch.
"Zinfandel Live gives us the opportunity to expand Zinfandel's reach to new audiences. We're excited to showcase Zinfandel's food pairing diversity and quality," explains ZAP's Executive Director, Rebecca Robinson.
Zinfandel Live is a multi-faceted campaign that will include long and short-form content featuring top chefs, vintners and footage from live events that focus on the complexity and versatility of Zinfandel and how its diverse flavor profiles can pair with almost any dish.
In addition, through partnership with Wine.com, viewers will have access to special packages that include the wines featured in each episode, giving them the opportunity to buy and taste the wines themselves via zinfandellive.com.
Leslie Sbrocco, award-winning author, speaker, wine consultant and TV personality will host the series.
Audiences will be a part of the series at the Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience May 18-21. A first-time tasting and pairing event will be held at Villa Chanticleer on Sunday, May 21st from 12 - 3pm with a wide array of Zinfandel producers sharing their wines along with local chefs. Guests can opt into a unique pairing seminar featuring live music from guitar phenom and singer-songwriter, Asher Belsky. Styles of Zinfandel will be matched with their complementary musical counterparts for a unique sensorial experience.
Participating chefs include Kent Rathbun, Four-time Beard Award-nominated American chef and restaurateur; Thomas Bellec and Leah Scurto – award-winning pizza chef and was recently featured on Hulu's original show, Best In Dough.