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The Valentine's Day Countdown Has Begun=20 Great Wines and Gifts=20 Two Weeks to ZAP Mania=20 Wine Team Picks=20 The Valentine's Day Countdown Has Begun Although you might have gotten the impression the holidays were over,=20 the most important day of the year for lovers is just around the=20 corner. At wine.com, we believe that fine wine -- and the surrender=20 to the senses that it invites -- is love, so in anticipation of the=20 (more-rapidly-approaching-than-you-think) date of February 14, we've=20 officially opened our Valentine Shop. In it, you'll find all kinds of=20 romantic gift packages, suggestive sweets, personalized wine labels,=20 and ... oh, yes, special wines from all over the world, arranged in=20 amorous combinations. Browse the shop now, and you'll be sure to=20 score a hit when V-Day arrives on your doorstep.=20 To learn more about each item listed below, simply click on its name. _____________________________________________________________________=20 Great Wines and Gifts 1998 Ivan Tamas Zinfandel, Livermore Valley, California, $8.95 An outstanding, fruit-filled Zinfandel produced from old-vine grapes=20 grown in Northern California's historic Livermore Valley. Intense=20 raspberry and dark cherry fruit flavors with black pepper aromas;=20 medium-bodied, with nice depth and concentration.=20 1997 Adella Zinfandel, Napa Valley, California, $14.99 A big mouthful of a Napa Zin that still offers supple smoothness and=20 easy drinkability. The addition of Sangiovese and Syrah gives the=20 wine extra body, depth, and flavor. A perfectly targeted Zinfandel=20 that hits the palate right in the bull's-eye.=20 Port and Chocolate Cigars, $30.00 This soothing tawny port from Tuke Holdsworth is a great way to take=20 the chill out of a cool winter evening. Paired with luscious=20 chocolate cigars, it inspires warm feelings all through the winter.=20 Packaged on a sparkling silver plated bottle coaster.=20 Romantic Duet, $35.00 When it comes to attractive matches, this international couple - a=20 rich, toe-tingling French bubbly (originally blended for Czar=20 Nicholas II of Russia) and a graceful, supple Napa Valley Merlot - is=20 not only glamorous, but also harmonious.=20 1997 Sonora TC Vineyard, 'Old Vine Zinfandel', Sierra=20 Foothills, $24.00 Big and foward in style with tons of intense fruit and firm tannins.=20 Classic Sierra Foothills Zinfandel from a 90 year old vineyard. If=20 Sonora's two Zins were singing in the choir, "TC Vineyard" would be=20 singing baritone and "Story Vineyard" tenor.=20 1999 Left Bank Macon-Ige Vieilles Vignes, Burgundy, France, $12.00 Clean and direct, this friendly wine is sure to please anyone tired=20 of oaky Chardonnay. Sold exclusively at the popular Left Bank=20 restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area and through wine.com, it's=20 made in an easy-to-drink style, perfect for bistro food: big, soft,=20 pale-straw in color, with aromas of green apple, hay, and lime.=20 _____________________________________________________________________=20 Two Weeks to ZAP Mania Now is a time of year when Zinfandel lovers find themselves=20 salivating even more profusely than usual. Such Pavlovian symptoms=20 are observable with the approach of January 27, the date of the=20 upcoming ZAP tasting in San Francisco.=20 ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates and Producers) was formed by a group of=20 impassioned wine producers in 1992 to raise awareness of Zinfandel=20 and promote it as America's "native" wine. Like other members of the=20 Vitis vinifera family, Zinfandel's origins lie somewhere in Europe,=20 but nobody has been able to determine exactly where; DNA testing has=20 shown the grape to be identical to the Primitivo of southern Italy,=20 but it's documented in the United States earlier than it can be=20 traced to Italy. Zinfandel has been grown and vinified in California=20 since the mid-19th century, establishing it as America's contribution=20 to the world of fine wine.=20 While Zinfandel's fortunes have risen and fallen since its arrival in=20 the New World 150 years ago, it's always been a grape and wine that=20 inspired feverish loyalty. Now, as the 21st century commences, Zin=20 seems to have it both ways: It's enjoying an unprecedented level of=20 popularity and prestige, but its adherents still have the=20 warm-and-cozy feeling of cult membership.=20 This phenomenon is on lavish display at the annual ZAP tasting, a=20 boisterous party that traditionally takes place on the Saturday=20 before the Super Bowl. Certified in the Guinness Book of World=20 Records as the world's biggest one-varietal wine tasting, the event=20 attracted more than 200 wineries and 6,000 wine lovers last year.=20 This time, for its 10th anniversary, it's being conducted in two=20 different buildings at San Francisco's Fort Mason Center. Advance=20 tickets cost $35 for ZAP members and $45 for non-members, with a=20 limited amount available at the door for $50 on the day of the event.=20 If you can't make it to the tasting, another easy way to sample the=20 state of Zin is wine.com's selection of Zinfandel in all its forms=20 and guises.=20 _____________________________________________________________________=20 Wine Team Picks: Lisa Doenecke on Splashy Sparklers and Other=20 Spritzy Delights This is probably one of my favorite categories, so my list came=20 quickly and easily. Sparkling wine and Champagne can be enjoyed on=20 any occasion, with no other reason than pure and simple pleasure. So=20 indulge with these special treats!=20 =01=07Meyer-Fonne Cremant d'Alsace Brut Extra, France, $12.00 =01=07Dom. Chandon Fleur de Vigne, California, $14.00=20 =01=07Ayala Brut Champagne, France, $28.00=20 =01=07Nicolas Feuillatte 1er Cru Brut Champagne, France, $34.00=20 =01=07Laurent Perrier Ultra-Brut Champagne, France, $54.00=20 _____________________________________________________________________=20 TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS NEWSLETTER, go to:=20 http://wine1.m0.net/m/u/vin/vv.asp?e=3Djdasovic%40enron.com
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