ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates & Producers) & Wine 2.0 Announce Collaboration With Two Events at ZAP Festival In January

    SAN FRANCISCO, CA, January 09, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Wine 2.0, the innovator in social networking and events in the wine industry (www.winetwo.com) and ZAP, Zinfandel Advocates & Producers (an organization of Zinfandel wineries and Zinfandel consumer enthusiasts, www.zinworld.org and www.zinfandel.org), announced today that they are partnering to offer "Winery Best Practices," an education session on January 30, 2009 at Ft. Mason in San Francisco and the "Bloggers' Lounge" at the tasting on January 31, also at Ft. Mason.

The seminar has three sessions:

1. Winery eCommerce: 12:00-12:45 pm- A panel moderated by Jeff Carroll of ShipCompliant on best practices and new tools for ecommerce success in 2009.

2. Winery Social Networking: 1:00-1:45 pm - A panel moderated by Lisa De Bruin of Hahn Family Winery with lessons on best practices for social networking in the year ahead.

3. Building a Great Consumer Direct Organization: 2:00-2:45 pm - A presentation by Lesley Berglund of WISE Academy on best practices in direct-to-consumer programs with lessons learned from industry research covering the past 18 months.

Sessions will run for 45 minutes each (with a 15 minute break between sessions) starting at 12 noon on January 30 in the Building "D" Theater at Ft. Mason. Up to 300 winery professionals are expected to attend. 40% of ticketing proceeds go towards ZAP's Education Programs. Tickets may be purchased online at www.winetwo.eventbrite.com. Space is limited and tickets will sell out quickly.

"Wine 2.0 is proud to partner with Zinfandel Advocates & Producers to bring paradigm-shifting online marketing strategies to Zinfandel wineries. We commend ZAP for its educational mission as well as its philanthropic commitment to preserving Zinfandel, America's unique heritage wine grape varietal," said Abdi Humphries, Director of Sales, Wine 2.0.

Rebecca Robinson, Executive Director, ZAP, explained that "Zinfandel Advocates & Producers is delighted to partner with Wine 2.0, so that together our organizations can bring new best Web-oriented communications practices to Zinfandel wineries. ZAP is honored to be the first wine industry organization to present an extensive program of this type with Wine 2.0."

Wine 2.0 and ZAP are also offering a "Bloggers' Lounge" at the ZAP Tasting on January 31, in conjunction with Wine 2.0 sponsor Hahn Family Vineyards. The Bloggers' Lounge is a living room style Wi-Fi lounge for online writers to sample wines from the several hundred Zinfandel wineries participating at ZAP's annual event. Bloggers will be able to create and upload real-time tasting notes for their blogging and twittering readership. There will be two Bloggers' Lounges, one each at the far end of the piers in the Herbst and Festival Pavilions, beginning at 10:00 am and extending through 5:00 pm.

About Wine 2.0 - "Blending the Line Between Wine & Technology"
Wine 2.0 is the innovator in social networking and events in the wine industry. With a focus on the next generation wine consumer, Wine 2.0 breaks down the barriers to learning about, experiencing, and enjoying wine. Wine 2.0 events feature a rich diversity of world class wines and the newest generation of emerging technology companies, services and communication tools that are changing the world of wine. With these events, Wine 2.0 is launching a series of Winery Best Practices seminars and the Bloggers' Lounge events. Wine 2.0 has a limited number of Cornerstone "Whole Season" Sponsorships available in key product and service segments for the 2009 event season. Contact Abdi Humphries at [email protected] for information on available sponsorship packages. Get Social at www.winetwo.net.

About ZAP - The Association of Zinfandel Advocates & Producers
The Association of Zinfandel Advocates & Producers (ZAP) is a non-profit, educational 501(c)(3) organization. ZAP is dedicated to advancing public knowledge of and appreciation for American Zinfandel and its unique place in our culture and history. Winegrowers, winemakers and wine enthusiasts combine to form the membership. The common focus is the preservation and recognition of Zinfandel as America's heritage wine. ZAP's membership includes approximately 300 winery-members, 6,000 advocate-members and 50 associate members. Tickets for the 18th Annual Zinfandel Advocates & Producers Festival are now available through the website (www.zinfandel.org) and on the phone (530/274-4900). The Festival takes place January 28-31, 2009 in San Francisco. Details are updated regularly at www.zinfandel.org. "There's no other place in the world a wine lover can go to experience so much about the world of Zinfandel," explains Rebecca Robinson, ZAP's Executive Director. "Every year we see increasing interest in America's heritage grape, which played a key role in California's history," she adds.

The Festival's events consist of Flights: A Showcase of California Zinfandels, an afternoon of seated tastings and panel discussions, January 28 (details at Zinfandel Festival - Flights!); Good Eats & Zinfandel Pairing, a 'dine-around' extravaganza, where Zinfandel producers team up with restaurants and purveyors to offer fine-tuned food-wine 'marriages,' January 29 (details at Zinfandel Festival - Good Eats & Zinfandel Pairing); Evening with the Winemakers, an elaborate tasting and dinner and auction to benefit The Heritage Vineyard Projects, January 30 (details at Zinfandel Festival - Evening with the Winemakers) and The 18th Annual Zinfandel Advocates & Producers Grand Zinfandel Tasting will take place on January 31 at Ft. Mason (more at Zinfandel Festival - Grand Zinfandel Tasting). ZAP launched a social networking platform last fall---www.ZinWorld.org. ZAP is also available in other online platforms:
Twitter: http://tiny.cc/JAGQW

About Wine 2.0

Wine 2.0 is the innovator in social networking and events in the wine industry. Wine 2.0 focuses on the next generation wine consumer and breaks down the barriers to learning about, experiencing and enjoying wine. Wine 2.0 events feature the newest generation of emerging technology companies, services and communication tools that are changing the world of wine. (www.winetwo.com)

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