MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2024. BY STEPHANIE BOLTON, PhD, LODI WINEGRAPE COMMISSION.
We’re here to clue you in on another fabulous and delicious California secret: Chez Panisse Zinfandel Week.
Alice Waters’ iconic Chez Panisse restaurant (1971) in Berkeley has intentionally celebrated Zinfandel since it’s early days, as you can see from the 1976 Gold Rush Zinfandel Menu shown below (courtesy of the Smithsonian). Like Zinfandel, Alice Waters and Chez Panisse have immensely contributed to the culinary culture of California.
This year, Chez Panisse Zinfandel Week runs from Monday, December 2 to Saturday, December 7, 2024. Menu items are selected to pair exceptionally well with an extended list of Zinfandel wines from California, often including fun older vintages from their cellar. Details on how to make a reservation can be found HERE. We’ll see you there!
Chez Panisse also hosted a Garlic Week in 1981, as I learned from a Reddit user who shared the vintage menu below. As growers, it’s important to support the restaurants who are tirelessly making an effort to support us. Thank you to Alice Waters and Chez Panisse, and also to Tegan Passalacqua for sharing the phenomenon of Zinfandel Week with me.
For fun, check out the Chez Panisse 10 Rules for Life, found as “A Manifesto” on WePresent by WeTransfer with gorgeous illustrations by Joana Avillez. Fantastic reminders as we head into Thanksgiving next week. Artwork shared below with permission.
About Restaurant Chez Panisse
Featured image of Lizzy James Vineyard Zinfandel photographed by Randy Caparoso in Lodi.
Have something interesting to say? Consider writing a guest blog article!
To subscribe to the Coffee Shop Blog, send an email to stephanie@lodiwine.com with the subject “blog subscribe.”
To join the Lodi Growers email list, send an email to stephanie@lodiwine.com with the subject “grower email subscribe.”
To receive Lodi Grower news and event promotions by mail, send your contact information to stephanie@lodiwine.com or call 209.367.4727.
For more information on the wines of Lodi, visit the Lodi Winegrape Commission’s consumer website, lodiwine.com.
For more information on the LODI RULES Sustainable Winegrowing Program, visit lodigrowers.com/standards or lodirules.org.
