Welcome to the first edition of FoodFetish 2009! With the start of this new edition, FoodFetish begins it's eleventh year of bringing you the world of food, wine, and fun from anywhere and everywhere that strikes out fancy. And what could be better than starting off the year with the annual celebration of all things Zinfandel that is the 18th Annual ZAP Fest. The fest runs through most of this week (January 28-31-) and we will be bringing you slices of life from the fest in the form of commentary, wine reviews, photos from the events and - just like last year - audio and video podcasts from Saturday's giant tasting at San Francisco's Fort Mason Center. This latest addition is particularly exciting to me, and the combination of ZAP and our new media features brings back memories from many years ago. My introduction to the Zinfandel Advocates and Producers came 18 years ago when I was invited by the organization's first director, Margaret Acton Smith to join a small group of folks in a hotel conference room for the first ZAP fest. I had the good fortune of producing a piece for NPR on that original event as well as sharing in the fun and excitement when Ravenswood co-founder, Joel Peterson brought out a collection of "old" Zins just to prove that it really was possiible to age Zinfandel (something that most people thaought was crazy back in 1991. So check back all week, and beyond, for news and views from the 18th Annual ZAP Fest in San Francisco. Or better yet, get online and buy your tickets, join us at the fest, and be a part of one of our podcasts! And, of course, don't forget... The FoodFetish Blog, featuring intermittent reports and reflections on the state of the art in all things food... and drink.. The point of the blog is to try and plug in some of the things that come our way at food fetish but that don't seem to fit into the format of what we're trying to create... assuming that we ever figure out exactly what it is we're trying to create. The blog also allows for reader comments, so feel free to post back..... but do me a favor and tell us who you are. If we like what you have to say (or at least find it interesting) we might want to contact you about writing something or the website itself. We've got lots more coming up... a new feature on Vegetariansim called "I Veg To Differ," new interviews with some of the country's hottest chefs in "One Tocque Over The Line," more articles from the fabulous Merle Ellis - The Butcher, and hey... we're even bringin' out T-shirts! HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM FOODFETISH!!!