Yes wine lovers, it’s that time of year again. Get out your raincoats, rubber boots, and prepare to drown in a sea of Zinfandel lovers. Quite possibly the most raucous public tasting every year in San Francisco, the ZAP Zinfandel festival is one of the Bay Area’s most dependable wine tastings. You can always count on it to be big, crowded, and a heck of a lot of fun.

The festival revolves around the hub of their huge public tasting on Saturday January 26th, but there are several other events put on throughout the weekend that are worthwhile to anyone looking to educate themselves or simply enjoy their favorite grape.

The festival begins Wednesday night, the 23rd, with a sit down tasting in a seminar style, followed by a small walk-around tasting of wines that will not be poured at any other ZAP event that weekend. Thursday, the popular food pairing event takes place, with local chefs making food to pair with many different Zinfandels from around the state.