In This Email:
The Valentine's Day Countdown Has Begun 
Great Wines and Gifts 
Two Weeks to ZAP Mania 
Wine Team Picks 


The Valentine's Day Countdown Has Begun

Although you might have gotten the impression the holidays were over, 
the most important day of the year for lovers is just around the 
corner. At wine.com, we believe that fine wine -- and the surrender 
to the senses that it invites -- is love, so in anticipation of the 
(more-rapidly-approaching-than-you-think) date of February 14, we've 
officially opened our Valentine Shop. In it, you'll find all kinds of 
romantic gift packages, suggestive sweets, personalized wine labels, 
and ... oh, yes, special wines from all over the world, arranged in 
amorous combinations. Browse the shop now, and you'll be sure to 
score a hit when V-Day arrives on your doorstep. 

To learn more about each item listed below, simply click on its name.
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Great Wines and Gifts

1998 Ivan Tamas Zinfandel, Livermore Valley, California, $8.95
An outstanding, fruit-filled Zinfandel produced from old-vine grapes 
grown in Northern California's historic Livermore Valley. Intense 
raspberry and dark cherry fruit flavors with black pepper aromas; 
medium-bodied, with nice depth and concentration. 

1997 Adella Zinfandel, Napa Valley, California, $14.99
A big mouthful of a Napa Zin that still offers supple smoothness and 
easy drinkability. The addition of Sangiovese and Syrah gives the 
wine extra body, depth, and flavor. A perfectly targeted Zinfandel 
that hits the palate right in the bull's-eye. 

Port and Chocolate Cigars, $30.00
This soothing tawny port from Tuke Holdsworth is a great way to take 
the chill out of a cool winter evening. Paired with luscious 
chocolate cigars, it inspires warm feelings all through the winter. 
Packaged on a sparkling silver plated bottle coaster. 

Romantic Duet, $35.00
When it comes to attractive matches, this international couple - a 
rich, toe-tingling French bubbly (originally blended for Czar 
Nicholas II of Russia) and a graceful, supple Napa Valley Merlot - is 
not only glamorous, but also harmonious. 

1997 Sonora TC Vineyard, 'Old Vine Zinfandel', Sierra 
Foothills, $24.00
Big and foward in style with tons of intense fruit and firm tannins. 
Classic Sierra Foothills Zinfandel from a 90 year old vineyard. If 
Sonora's two Zins were singing in the choir, "TC Vineyard" would be 
singing baritone and "Story Vineyard" tenor. 

1999 Left Bank Macon-Ige Vieilles Vignes, Burgundy, France, $12.00
Clean and direct, this friendly wine is sure to please anyone tired 
of oaky Chardonnay. Sold exclusively at the popular Left Bank 
restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area and through wine.com, it's 
made in an easy-to-drink style, perfect for bistro food: big, soft, 
pale-straw in color, with aromas of green apple, hay, and lime. 

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Two Weeks to ZAP Mania

Now is a time of year when Zinfandel lovers find themselves 
salivating even more profusely than usual. Such Pavlovian symptoms 
are observable with the approach of January 27, the date of the 
upcoming ZAP tasting in San Francisco. 

ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates and Producers) was formed by a group of 
impassioned wine producers in 1992 to raise awareness of Zinfandel 
and promote it as America's "native" wine. Like other members of the 
Vitis vinifera family, Zinfandel's origins lie somewhere in Europe, 
but nobody has been able to determine exactly where; DNA testing has 
shown the grape to be identical to the Primitivo of southern Italy, 
but it's documented in the United States earlier than it can be 
traced to Italy. Zinfandel has been grown and vinified in California 
since the mid-19th century, establishing it as America's contribution 
to the world of fine wine. 

While Zinfandel's fortunes have risen and fallen since its arrival in 
the New World 150 years ago, it's always been a grape and wine that 
inspired feverish loyalty. Now, as the 21st century commences, Zin 
seems to have it both ways: It's enjoying an unprecedented level of 
popularity and prestige, but its adherents still have the 
warm-and-cozy feeling of cult membership. 

This phenomenon is on lavish display at the annual ZAP tasting, a 
boisterous party that traditionally takes place on the Saturday 
before the Super Bowl. Certified in the Guinness Book of World 
Records as the world's biggest one-varietal wine tasting, the event 
attracted more than 200 wineries and 6,000 wine lovers last year. 
This time, for its 10th anniversary, it's being conducted in two 
different buildings at San Francisco's Fort Mason Center. Advance 
tickets cost $35 for ZAP members and $45 for non-members, with a 
limited amount available at the door for $50 on the day of the event. 

If you can't make it to the tasting, another easy way to sample the 
state of Zin is wine.com's selection of Zinfandel in all its forms 
and guises. 

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Wine Team Picks: Lisa Doenecke on Splashy Sparklers and Other 
Spritzy Delights

This is probably one of my favorite categories, so my list came 
quickly and easily. Sparkling wine and Champagne can be enjoyed on 
any occasion, with no other reason than pure and simple pleasure. So 
indulge with these special treats! 

Meyer-Fonne Cremant d'Alsace Brut Extra, France, $12.00
Dom. Chandon Fleur de Vigne, California, $14.00 
Ayala Brut Champagne, France, $28.00 
Nicolas Feuillatte 1er Cru Brut Champagne, France, $34.00 
Laurent Perrier Ultra-Brut Champagne, France, $54.00 

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