Call it a tradition. Call it a cult. Call it crazy, but in one evening, over 10 dinners take place at the same time, in multiple locations, with various personalities. Inside stories. Secrets revealed. It's the ultimate experience and only our Winemaker Dinner Series gives you such access and so many choices. Whether you prefer a quiet dinner in a wooded setting, a waterside soiree, or an easy gathering on the back patio, you will be wined and dined with the ultimate in Chefs and winemakers from Washington.
Check back soon for information on the 2013 Winemaker Dinner Series including participating wineries, chefs and locations.
Join Co-Chairs Bob Betz and Stein Kruse on Friday, August 16th, for an exclusive celebration at the waterfront home of Bernt and Elizabeth Bodal in Woodway, Washington. Nationally Acclaimed Restaurateur and Award Winning Chef Michael Mina will create a culinary adventure paired with your guest wineries for the evening including Betz Family Wines, Cayuse, Col Solare, Long Shadows and Leonetti Cellar. Joining this dinner will be our Honorary Vintner, Allen Shoup of Long Shadows, and Honorary Grower, Kent Waliser of Sagemoor Vineyards as well as our 2013 Honorary Chair, Harvey Steiman of Wine Spectator.
This dinner is available only to guests who purchase a weekend package and seating is limited. Once this dinner is full, weekend guests will have their choice of other Winemaker Dinners based on availability.
The old-world-style wines from
Boudreaux Cellars and Andrew Will are rich and complex and become even more
interesting when served alongside a sumptuous supper, much like their
winemakers. Add the elegant Italian-influenced dishes Café Juanita’s Holly
Smith is famous for preparing at her cozy spot in Kirkland and surprising
things are likely to happen. On this special evening, Chef Holly, one of the
James Beard Foundation’s winners for Best Chef in the Northwest, will wow
guests at the picturesque waterfront home of Pictionary inventor and Philanthropist,
Rob Angel, on Mercer Island, while Boudreaux’s Rob Newsom and Andrew Will’s
Chris Camarda plan an evening full of personality.
Anyone who knows Woodward Canyon’s
animated, Rick Small, and Sparkman Cellars’ hilarious head honcho, Chris
Sparkman, know those two bring the party. Not to mention, they also bring some
pretty spectacular wine! Winemaker Chris Peterson of Avennia, one of Washington’s
hottest new wineries, will round out the evening. Guests at the Tacoma home of
commercial real estate leader, Jeffrey and Susan Lyon will sip from an array of
phenomenal Cabernets, Merlots, Syrahs and more from these versatile vintners
while enjoying bluff views high above the Puget Sound. Oh, and if THAT isn’t
enough, El Gaucho Tacoma culinary team will prepare some thick slabs of
flame-kissed beef to complete this red meat and red wine lover’s dream.
For this Winemaker
dinner you will travel to the exclusive hillside enclave of The Highlands for
dinner with your hosts, Chris and Kathleen Kosmos. Their home, set among
towering trees and lush landscaping, is among the oldest in The Highlands. You
will spend the evening sipping and nibbling on their terrace with spectacular
unobstructed views of the Puget Sound and Olympic Mountains. Joining you will
be two of Washington’s finest wine producers, Steve and Bridgit Griessel of
Betz Family Winery and Chris and Heidi Figgins representing Leonetti Cellar and
FIGGINS. Adding his own touch of elegance and finesse will be Chef Philip
Mihalski of the iconic Nell’s Restaurant. This European-inspired New American
cuisine that showcases the finest of seasonal Northwest ingredients will meld
seamlessly with these Washington Wine wonders.
Dunham & Dupar: Artisanal Artistry Abound
We’re shaking things up this year for returning guests! Chef
Lisa Dupar of Lisa Dupar Catering
and Eric Dunham of Dunham
Cellars reveal the "meet the artisan" menu. This chef-centric
approach will have you mingling with true food artisans—fanciful farmers,
conversant cheesemongers, scintillating spice experts, state-of-the-art
shellfish growers—all so you can meet the human behind each bite. And of
course, the guru of the grape, Sr. winemaker Eric Dunham, will bring his
special library treats. Hosts, Paul Strisower and Midori Chan, look forward to
welcoming returning guests to their private venue, Riverside Falls, for a
leisurely summer evening of extraordinary bites, generous pours, and mingling
merriment!
De plane! De plane! It’s Fantasy
Island time at the Mercer Island home of Walt Pisco. If the idea of a possible
aerial tour taking off right from Pisco’s private dock isn’t enough to quicken
your pulse, imagine adding the ultimate trifecta of Woodinville-based wine!
Mark Ryan, Stevens and Gorman Winery, respected for their phenomenal blending
skills, will be pouring the fruit of their feisty vines for this evening’s
extravaganza. This downright delicious event will feature the Barking Frog’s
bubbly chef, Bobby Moore, who will design a dinner that will transport your
taste buds. So trade your business suit and briefcase, for linen pants and
sundresses because when you taste Gorman’s Big Sissy, Mark Ryan’s Long Haul and
the beguiling Steven’s Black Tongue Syrah you’ll be carried off on a one-way
trip to paradise. The evening might have a Fantasy Island flavor, but this is
one evening where it gets real!
The father of Seattle’s modern
charcuterie movement, Armandino “Armo” Batali of Salumi’s will be bringing some
of the inspiration from his years living in Spain with his family, to this
delicious feast at JM Cellars. For this culinary excursion through a land of
paella and Iberico pork, Armo is teaming up with Cedarbrook Lodge’s Culinary
Director Roy Breiman, whose resume has had him dancing around the world,
Michelin star to Michelin star, receiving critical acclaim with recent
accolades for transforming The Cedarbrook Lodge into one of the greenest gems
in the region, utilizing local-focused and sustainable foods. JM Cellars, best
known for their velvety reds and spectacular grounds, are providing tastes of
their current releases as well as selections from their library. Guests will
also have the chance to enjoy the stunning cabernets from TERO Estates to
complement the vibrant fare. Salude!
SOLD OUT
Walla Walla wine pioneers
Marty Clubb of L’Ecole N° 41 and Jean-François Pellet of Pepper Bridge Winery
bring their extensive experience to the table. If you think they’re old
school in their process, you’re quite off the mark! They are leaders in
sustainable practices in their estate vineyards where extraordinary fruit
reflects the unique typicity of each individual vineyard site, accomplished
while reducing their ecological footprint. Adding culinary magic,
seasoned Chef Tom Black of the impeccable Bis on Main in Bellevue, will prepare
an amazing pairing of wine and food, using local, quality ingredients.
Dinner will be served lakeside at the stunning, art-filled Hunt’s Point home of
Pete and Debbie Lemman. Prepare yourself for an
extravagant presentation of some of Washington’s finest art, wine and food.
At the bustling Il
Corvo, Mike Easton’s delicate, hand-cut noodles are sought after by many pasta
enthusiasts, declaring they’ve never had better robust sauces outside of Italy.
Locally sourced ingredients makes up this farm-to-table feast paired perfectly
with two of Washington State’s superstar grape farmers, Dick Boushey and Todd
Newhouse. The success of the Yakima Valley is rooted in the talents of these
two farmers and others like them. Join them in a secluded and wooded corner of
Bellevue at the home of David and Sherilyn Tan for a grand celebration of 30
years of Washington’s first official wine region, the AVA that contributes the
most grapes to Washington wine, and the AVA with the greatest concentration of
the state’s most famous vineyards. None other than Yakima Valley.
