Zinfandel is my choice for the holiday dinner table.

I know I'm not in the majority on this. Most experts take their cue

from the bird

and point toward lighter, softer reds like pinot noirs or syrahs, or buttery whites like chardonnays. I prefer to bow to the side dishes, those bold, well-seasoned greens, potatoes, relishes, stuffings and gravy that are, really, what a holiday feast is all about.

Zinfandel has the power to hold up to all the different flavors of a heavy meal. The wine gives a bracing energy to a meal that can easily weigh you down.

So, give the zin time to breathe and pour it into your biggest goblets so guests have plenty of room to swirl, sniff and savor.

Finding the right zinfandel for you shouldn't be hard. This red can cop a variety of attitudes.

Attendees at last month's Chicago Wine and Food Festival tasted the range firsthand if they visited Brian Duncan at the Bin 36 table. He was pouring two zins bottled under the Bin 36 label. The 2002, called "Brian's Blend X," is boldly plush and vigorous in the classic California style. The 2003, just "Brian's Blend," is deeper yet more disciplined with what Duncan describes as a "Bordeaux sensibility."

Remember, too, that a good match sometimes can be made less on an exact flavor pairing and more on symbolism. Zinfandel epitomizes the energy, freshness and optimism of California, where cultivation began in the mid-19th century.

Zinfandel is an immigrant grape made for this (mostly) immigrant nation. Just exactly where it is from has been open to much debate, with most recent scholarship pointing toward Croatia. What is indisputable is that, wherever zinfandel originated, coming to the United States made it a star.

So popular is zinfandel among some wine drinkers that they even have their own group, ZAP, which stands for Zinfandel Advocates & Producers. Some 6,500 "advocates" and 310 producers are members, according to ZAP's Web site.

Thousands eagerly attend ZAP's annual festival in San Francisco for the opportunity to sample hundreds of zins. The group is sponsoring a Mediterranean cruise this spring that includes a stop in Croatia, and there is even a "zinposium" planned for Napa next July.

As they say, only in America ... and a darn good thing too.

Never call the Good Eating taste panel unpatriotic. They sat up and saluted this collection of California zinfandel chosen to be served at the dinner tables during the holidays.All the wines came from familiar, relatively widely available wineries. All the wines tasted were from the 2002 vintage, and they all tasted fine. Six out of eight earned three-corkscrew "very good" ratings from panelists.<B>2002 Girard Zinfandel:</B>A classic zin from the Napa Valley with plenty of plump berry and cherry fruit padding but not obliterating the underlying tannic structure. Lovely color, great nose, plenty of spice yet still a soft, accessible wine. 3 corks. $22<B>2002 Ridge California Geyserville:</B>Zinfandel dominates this blend, which is also made up of carignane and petite sirah. There is a cooling, minty undertone to this Geyserville wine, which is lighter in body but more assertive in style than the Girard. The fruit is there, and a long, long finish, but expect also some black pepper and cinnamon. 3 corks. $29<B>2002 St. Francis Zinfandel Old Vines:</B>The aroma's dark, jammy berry notes translate over to this wine's smooth, smooth fruit flavor. Lots of black pepper on the finish. 3 corks. $17<B>2002 Ravenswood Zinfandel Big River:</B>Cocoa, prunes and menthol create an enticing aroma for this Alexander Valley wine. The flavor is slightly mushroomy, with plenty of black pepper and cinnamon notes for warmth. 3 corks. $26<B>2002 Clos La Chance Zinfandel:</B>This soft El Dorado County red leaves plenty of cherry notes on the tongue and whiffs of bacon on the nose. Chocolate enhances the long finish. 3 corks. $17<B>2002 Bradford Mountain Zinfandel:</B>There's a slightly syrupy quality to this Sonoma County zin, which sports a distinctively out-sized berry/cherry profile. Still, the wine remains balanced. 3 corks. $23<B>2002 Amazin Zinfandel:</B>The nose on this Russian River Valley red entices with notes of black pepper, earth and spice, but the flavor profile is markedly lighter than one would imagine. Pleasant enough, but needs more muscle. 2 corks. $13<B>2002 D Cubed Zinfandel:</B>From St. Helena in California's Napa Valley, this zin had an almost sugary taste and an abrupt finish. Not enough there. 2 corks. $22