Color my cheeks flushed! It’s ZinFest time once again. In case you haven’t heard, I’m a wine lover and I rush to events that promote drinking wine. In public. ZinFest Wine Festival takes place on May 17th at Lodi Lake Park. What better way to spend a day than sipping from the rich bounty of Lodi regional wines? Run, do not walk, to purchase your tickets. With over two hundred Lodi wines to taste, line up that designated driver and plan for a day of food and drink under the California sun. Nothing screams California awesomeness more than a festival dedicated to drinking wine and shopping crafty vendor booths to the soundtrack of live music. All of my favorite things in one place. You may find me lounging by the live band, but perhaps you are the more motivated sort and would like to participate in the ZinFest Cooking School. Wow your friends with your culinary expertise gained with time spent with a chef and winemaker during a spectacular demonstration. The only thing better than fine wine is gourmet food paired with wine.
I don’t even pretend to be a wine expert. I just drink it. And I occasionally write about wine. Well, more than occasionally. Perhaps I’ll even make a point to stop at one of the 
hourly Zinfest Wine School demonstrations so I can at least pretend I know what I’m talking about. Although I do look mighty pretty just sitting and sipping on Old Vine Zin. I pride myself on mastering the art of attending the wine festival. This entails drinking enough water to hydrate my body before the event, lathering a thick layer of sunscreen on my fair, Irish skin and slipping on my sandals for a day of wandering from wine booth to wine booth. Take a walk with me, and we’ll quickly discover which booth has the most generous pours. I know myself well enough to realize that the more wine I’ve ‘sipped’, the more likely I’ll go on a shopping rampage at one of the many cool vendors dotting the premise. I try to stick to cash only and avoid the credit card hangover the next day.
I will try not to be sad that my children won’t be allowed to attend the event. Ha! Who am I kidding? The children will happily stay with the grandparents so I can explore the Zin scene in peace. All that is left to do is to hide my credit cards from myself, arrange a chariot to carry me safely home, and soak up the wine and sun next to the lake. Check out the full weekend lineup for ZinFest, including self-guided winery tours with special activities. Or splurge and attend the Vintner’s Grille at the Lake on Friday night for wine and gourmet cuisine from Wine and Roses. I think I just may come down with a bit of spring fever and not show up to work that Monday morning.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
ZinFest
Lodi Lake Park
1101-1103 W. Turner Road
Lodi, (209) 365-0621, Zinfest.com