This decadent event featured endless helpings of artisan cheeses, charcuterie, free-flow boutique wines from around the globe, micro brews, and more. A sampling of some of the bites you missed below!
There were also cocktails with Angostura Bitters and an award-winning lineup of beers from Magnolia Brewing Company. There was no shortage of wine (as you’d expect from any Napa Valley event), with over 30 participating wineries including Silver Oak & Twomey Cellars, BenMarco, Wines of Germany, Antica Napa Valley, Rodney Strong Vineyards, Azzurro Wine Company, Scholium Project, Pax Wine Cellars, Del Dotto Vineyards, Faust, Alysian Wines, Agharta, Trinity Hill, Kosta Browne, CIRQ, Charles Krug, Robert Craig Winery, Priest Ranch, Lando Wines, Qupe, Leviathan, Rombauer Vineyards, ONEHOPE Wines, Rocca Family Vineyards, Jigar & Sedition Wines and Sandeman Porto.
There was also a pop-up bakery from La Brea; a Salami Snack Bar from Creminelli and Divina; a noodle bar featuring Chef Francis Ang and some racy German wines; organic pâté offerings from Les Trois Petit Cochons and a Luxury Butter Bar featuring Sabatino truffle butter, foie gras.
In addition to the meat-laden feast, the event also had a Pop-Up Butcher Demo and Silent Auction with celebrated butchers. Travis Day of Thistle Meats (Sonoma) and Tracy Smaciarz of Heritage Meats (SEA).
Beyond the 80+ chef created dishes of the day, a few culinary spotlights included a Vietnamese Fire Experience with Chef Tu David Phu cooking over Royal Oak Charcoal, Creekstone Farms Beef prepared by notable chefs, a special Shrimp & Grits dish paired by Kim Wiss paired with the wines of Antica Napa Valley, and special bites from the culinary team at Traeger Grills. There were food and wine pairings from Silver Oak Chef Dominic Orsini; a farmhouse cheese spread from Somerdale and Cypress Grove.
The list of participating chefs who participated included:
- Thomas Boemer of Corner Table (MSP)
- John Sundstrom of Lark (SEA)
- William Wright of Helen Greek Food and Wine (HOU)
- Duskie Estes & John Stewart of Zazu Kitchen + Farm (Sonoma)
- Marc Zimmerman of Alexander’s Steakhouse (we just reviewed this San Francisco gem, so be sure to check out our article)
- Albert Ponzo of The Royal (TOR)
- Christian Page of Cassell’s Hamburgers (LA)
- Francis Derby formerly of The Cannibal (NYC)
- Jordan Keao of āina Restaurant (SF)
- Tiffany Friedman of Butter Root (Sonoma)
- Rodney Wages of R.T.B. (SF)
- Eric Nyeste of Smokestack at Magnolia Brewery (SF)
- Rafael Barrera and Pedro Juan Álvarez Cortés (Puerto Rico)
- Evan Allumbaugh of Flour + Water (SF)
- Dustin Valette of Valette (Sonoma)
- Lars Kronmark of Culinary Institute of America (NAPA)
- Blaise Bisbey of Napa Valley Heritage
- Tu David Phu of ĂN: A Vietnamese Dining Experience (OAK)
- Dominic Orsini of Silver Oak (NAPA)
- Scott Ostrander of Foundation Fire (SAC)
- Nicolai Lipscomb of The Battery (SF)
- Francis Ang of Pinoy Heritage (SF)
- Larry Forgione (NAPA)
- Alex Lovick of Inglenook (NAPA)
- Sophina Uong of Mestiza Taqueria (SF)
- Rob Lind of Ella Dining Room (SAC)
- Sara Hauman of Octavia (SF)
- Kim Wiss of Antica Wines (NAPA)
- Peter Jacobsen of Team Toast (NAPA)
- Joshua Schwartz of Del Dotto Vineyards (NAPA)
- Greg Laketek of West Loop Salumi (CHI)
- Brock Macdonald of Beast + Bounty (SAC)
- Reema Shroff of Frost 321 (SF),
- Chef Robin Song of San Francisco
The other nice thing about the event is that it was held at the historical Charles Krug winery, which also had the first tasting room in Napa Valley.
It was first open for public wine tastings in 1882 by Charles Krug, and has been stewarded by C. Mondavi & Family since 1943. While we had some great “tastes” throughout the day (it was 107 degrees all day btw — yes, really!), we love Charles Krug wines. We were also thrilled to see Woody and team there from Alysian Wines – we’re huge fans of their whites.
While all inclusive tickets start at $125, they also had $400 ULTRA-VIP tickets which included a 90-minute early entry, a behind-scenes tour and rare wine tasting with a Cochon555 director and Saturday night dinner at Silver Oak Winery. We were grateful to be invited as press to attend this wonderful annual Napa Valley event.
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- Exploring Napa Valley
Details:
Charles Krug Winery
2800 Main Street
St. Helena CA 94574
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
