I recently attended the inaugural Masters and Makers Event at the Meritage Resort & Spa in Napa Valley, California, the ultimate food and wine experience. For an entire weekend, this wine and food celebration showcased exquisite Napa Valley and Sonoma County wines with creative wine tasting experiences, seminars and dining. Their executive chef, Krisztian Karkus, a handful of Masters of Wine and Master Sommeliers, along with some of the finest wine makers in the region made this event a not-to-miss experience and an event to put on your list for food and wine must-do’s for the year.
While the event was loaded with a variety of related food and wine events across 3 days, the “pudding” was the Saturday night gala at the Meritage. Take a look:
Let’s just say that the chefs and their teams s were involved and want to make a difference…..
The desserts were out of this world.
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They also had an amazing band which played jazz tunes well into the night.
AND, the food just kept rolling out.
We really liked the wines from Delgadillo Cellars (thumbs up), Duckhorn’s Merlot & Cab and the family vineyard of Maldonado, a Mexican-owned vineyard who not only rocks it for their “reds” but has an energy that is worth hosting. Visit them on your next trip north – they have a tasting room in downtown Calistoga California on 1307A Lincoln Avenue.
The idea behind Masters & Makers is a host of events and activities to better educate you about wine. From joining a winemaker and Master Sommelier as they taste and review five quintessential wines from Napa Valley and a wine education session on what makes the perfect Bordeaux Blend to a Trinitas Cellars Cooking Class & Wine Pairing and the main gala (photos above), the event calls to people who live, breathe or at least care about a little – food and wine.
For the Saturday night gala (photos above), the Grand Ballroom is transformed into a majestic tasting room with 80 wineries from Napa Valley and Sonoma County showcasing many of the finest wines produced in the region.
AND oh btw, the rooms at the Meritage are fabulous. Check out our original post on the property and on our second time around, we remain a fan. Our full fledged review will give you a more comprehensive view of the resort, but we don’t cover in depth, are the fabulous events attached to the property including their February wine and food extravaganza (noted above), as well additional festivities on-site. We ran into a bunch of locals bowling,which we decided to do after after far too much wine tasting. Needless to say, the bowling alley is on-site (equates to no driving) and a whole lotta fun, regardless of your bowling score.
AND oh btw, the rooms at the Meritage are fabulous also – mostly in an Italian Tuscan theme.
They also have an incredible spa on-site as well as the “cave” where you can do wine tastings. Be sure to also check out an earlier hotel review we did of the Meritage (we’re fans) and of the spa. Also check out our top California accommodations and California lodging section as well as our spa section.
Here’s the agenda for the 2014 Masters and Makers @ Meritage event! I am told that this is the first of many to come, so be sure to check back for news on their 2015 and beyond activities. We LOVED our experience!
Disclosure: we were partially hosted for the above two event activities but all opinions expressed are my own.
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.
