Winemaker’s dinner, a chance to engage and learn about the best in food and wine
My first trip to Washington wine country was to Apex Cellars’ Winemaker Dinner with Brian Carter in 2001. My wife still remembers the final course… a dense pound cake served with fresh plump blueberries and drizzled with the winemakers Late Harvest Riesling, served with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream. This was the trip that started me thinking about the endless possibilities available for me here in wine country.
Prawn & Crab Bisque
These days I participate in a few different styles of winemaker’s dinners. Sometimes I’m the hired gun for the winemaker, hosted by the winery. There are progressive dinners where multiple wineries, winemakers and chefs are involved and the dinner progresses from one winery to the next- such as the one I just did over at Prosser’s Food & Wine Park during Yakima Valley’s Spring Barrel Weekend (included: Hogue Cellars, Heaven’s Cave, Alexandria Nicole Cellars, Cowan Vineyards, Kestrel Vintners, and Mercer Estates Winery). Then there are the dinners I host at Picazo 7Seventeen, which I attempt to do monthly for some great winemakers like Jarrod Boyle, Dave Forsyth, John Bookwalter, Scott Pontin and Kay Simon- to list just a few. No matter the style of dinner, the idea is to educate guests while showcasing the wine’s best features through well thought out food pairings.
Airfield Estates Winery "Fat Saturday"
Winery-Hosted Winemaker Dinners are usually geared to help showcase new releases, upcoming vintages (the barrel samples), club member only releases, the winemaker himself and the winery- where all the magic happens. Typically, these dinners start off with appetizer(s), wine samples and a tour of the winery; the tasting room, tank room, barrel room and if you’re lucky- seeing where it all starts- the vineyard and lab. Then eventually back to
where dinner is served where you will be introduced to each wine by the winemaker as they romanticize about its vintage, the vineyard, the wine making process (barrel aging vs. stainless steel), how the wine is tasting now and how they expect it to show as it ages. Next, the chef explains how the wines were tasted, pairings suggested and the menu written to help showcase the wine. Actually some of the most entertaining dinners have a theme like Airfield Estates’ “Fat Saturday” Mardi Gras Dinner with menu items that included: Fried Okra, BBQ Alligator, Jambalaya and the large Crab Boil (Dungeness crab, potatoes, corn, prawns, clams and mussels).
Bisson & Beef Tenderloin
The Chef Magaña Hosted Winemaker Dinner is an evening full of culinary experimentation and incredible wines. Wines are selected by the winemaker, our Wine Manager Trina Cortez (@picazowinegal) and myself and are then
tasted, food pairings suggested and menus written not only to showcase the wine but to showcase my personal style of cuisine- the Spanish Flair of Picazo. The evening starts off with a social hour featuring appetizers and the first wine pour(s) allowing the guests to mingle with the winemaker and myself. Then we start a culinary adventure paired with world class wines. I explain the preparation of the first course and why I think the dish complements the wine. The winemaker discusses the wine in detail and then on to the next course. Some of my favorite menu pairings have included: Mercer Estates 07 Merlot- Duck Panzanella; Pontin Del Roza 08 Pinot Gris -Dungeness Crab Bisque; Alexandria Nicole Cellars 07 Mr. Big Petite Syrah – Braised Lingua Gnocchi.
The winemaker dinner at Apex Cellars still stands out as a highlight in the path that led me to open my own wine country restaurant. I can only hope to help create such a memory along someone else’s path or, in the very least, help others find culinary excitement through food and wine pairings.
Until the next dinner (there’s like six in the works),
Chef Frank Magana
Comments: