Weekend wines There’s nothing like planning ahead, especially when it comes to palate prep. So even before you finish your 80-hour work week, remind yourself you live in Wine Country where it’s protocol to peruse a great line-up of wine for uncorking: Here are some great ones to kick off the weekend:

Feb. 21s t is the celebration of the fifth annual Vintners Hall of Fame at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena. We’re told there are still some $175 tickets available and people can read more about the event and register at www.ciavintnershalloffame.com.

You in? Are you going to ZAP? Are you a fan of snappy, back-talking zins or do you prefer the gallant, well-mannered ones? These extremes and everything in-between will be poured at the 20h annual ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates & Producers) Tasting Saturday, Jan. 29 at San Francisco’s Fort Mason.

Food fight? Hardly. Yet for many pinot noir is seen as the ultimate food match, particularly the Burgundian style of pinot, earthy, tangy, with good acidity. So it begs the question: Is zinfandel in pinot’s shadow?

Here’s a knockout pinot noir – the Chasseur, 2009 Sonoma County. It’s so damn good you’ll stare at the glass and talk about its striking concentration of red raspberry fruit to whoever will listen. Yes, even the dog.

Thank God it's Friday wines. Have you ever noticed people at work? We’ll, try to be inconspicuous but take a peek. They’re either pecking away on their computer, talking into their Bluetooth or texting on their Smartphone. Yes, sadly we have become the Borg, the Star Trek fictional race of cyborgs, half human, half machine. We’ll it’s Friday afternoon and it’s time to unplug, disconnect and lose yourself. That’s right … off the grid, dude.

Designated driver? Sipping in Wine Country is gearing up with events like Winter Wineland this Saturday and Sunday and the Zinfandel Advocates & Producers Jan. 29th.

If you’re the type of person who works hard and plays hard, it’s that time of the week to think recreational hardball.

While it’s no protein shake, wine in moderation is good for the system as we all know. But just how do you calculate “moderation”?

A wine baptism? Did you know that in Italy the top restaurants don’t consider a clean wine glass ready to use before they’ve rinsed it out with a splash of wine? Yes, a baptism of sorts.