"To have the privilege of holding these wines in your mouth for just a few minutes is the reason to travel to McMinnville in July."
- Patrick Comiskey, Wine & Spirits and The L.A. Times
2010 GRAND SEMINAR - WINE IS FOOD: The Art of Pairing Pinot
Pinot noir has long been lauded as a food-friendly wine and favorite among chefs. Winemaker and chef panelists will broach the topic of food and wine pairing for this year's highly anticipated Grand Seminar. The seminar will be divided into two sessions. Session 1 – The Winemakers
Master of Ceremonies Ray Isle, Wine Editor of Food & Wine, will engage you in a discussion and tasting of four Pinot noir wines made by Dan Goldfield of California's Dutton Goldfield, Lynnette Hudson of New Zealand's Pegasus Bay, Olivier Leriche of Burgundy's Domaine de l'Arlot, and Mark Vlossak of Oregon's St. Innocent Winery. You will learn about the history, vineyard practices, and vinification methods of each winery, as well as hear commentary on how each winemaker is influenced by food.
Session 2 – The Chefs
In the second session, Master Sommelier and Perfect Pairings author Evan Goldstein will be joined on stage by four Northwest chefs including Renée Erickson of Seattle's The Boat Street Café, Kevin Gibson of Portland's EVoE, Jason Stoller Smith of the Willamette Valley's The Dundee Bistro, and Cathy Whims of Portland's Nostrana. Each chef will create and discuss a pairing for one the four Pinots using a different cut of lamb. Guests will be served small portions of each dish to taste alongside the wines while learning the process a chef goes through in identifying the style and characteristics of a wine and then creating a complimentary recipe that allows both elements to shine. Guests will enjoy the unique opportunity to hear from both winemakers and chefs about the topic of food and wine as side-by-side partners on the table.
‣THE MODERATORS
|
RAY ISLE, Wine Editor for Food & Wine
2010 IPNC Master of Ceremonies & Grand Seminar Session 1 ModeratorWine Editor at Food & Wine, James Beard Award nominee, and the man behind Food & Wine's "Tasting Room" wine column and blog, Ray Isle, will be your Master of Ceremonies. Ray's articles have appeared in a wide range of national publications and he is a regular guest on renowned media programs such as Today, The Early Show, Good Morning America, LXTV, NPR's "All Things Considered," and American Public Media's "The Splendid Table." Ray's career epiphany came to him during the 1997 Pinot noir harvest in Saratoga, California. He left academia for the wine business and never looked back! |
|
EVAN GOLDSTEIN, Master Sommelier and Perfect Pairings Author
2010 IPNC Grand Seminar Session 2 ModeratorEvan Goldstein, MS, is one of the nation's most prolific food and wine industry veterans. His food and wine career began in renowned kitchens of Paris and California including Berkeley's seminal Chez Panisse. In 1984 he joined his mother, chef and author Joyce Goldstein, in opening the celebrated San Francisco restaurant Square One. Three years later, he became the eighth American and youngest ever at the time to pass the Master Sommelier examination. Since 1990 Evan has created wine education programs and service hospitality schools, as well as trained and examined candidates for the Court of Master Sommeliers as a Founding Board member. Evan is a regular editorial contributor to publications such as Santé magazine and South Korea's celebrated Wine Review, a recurring guest wine expert on NBC's syndicated "In Wine Country," and he has authored several critically-acclaimed books including Perfect Pairings: A Master Sommelier's Practical Advice for Partnering Wine with Food and his sequel wine and food book entitled Daring Pairings: A Master Sommelier Matches Distinctive Wines with Recipes from His Favorite Chefs. In 2008 Evan joined Full Circle Wine Solutions, Inc., a global wine and spirits education company, as President and Chief Education Officer. |
‣THE WINEMAKERS
|
DAN GOLDFIELD, Dutton-Goldfield Winery (Sebastopol, CA)
Dutton-Goldfield Winery began in 1998 when longtime colleagues and friends Steve Dutton and Dan Goldfield recognized a shared vision between them – to craft wines that express the personalities of their cool-climate vineyards, and which they'd enjoy drinking at their own dinner tables. Steve's father, Warren Dutton, began growing grapes in the coolest western reaches of Russian River Valley in the mid-1960s. Today, along with his mother and brother, Steve manages Dutton Ranch, which has grown to over 80 separate vineyards comprising more than 1,000 acres throughout western Russian River Valley. Dan Goldfield received his M.S. in Enology from the University of California at Davis in 1986. He found his passion in Pinot noir and Chardonnay, first as the winemaker at the Burgundian-focused La Crema Winery, and then at Hartford Court, which was created under his direction. Focusing on Chardonnay, Pinot noir, Syrah and Zinfandel, Dutton-Goldfield's mission is to craft world-class wines that display the brightness of fruit, complexity, structure and balance that are reflective of our cool coastal home. |
|
LYNETTE HUDSON, Pegasus Bay (Canterbury, New Zealand)
Pegasus Bay Winery is a small family owned and operated winery, focused on producing high-quality wines, which express the terroir of the vineyard and the true characteristics of each variety. It is situated in the Waipara Valley, 30 minutes north of Christchurch in the South Island of New Zealand. To the east, the Waipara Valley is separated from the ocean (Pegasus Bay) by a range of hills, which protect it from the cooling winds of the Pacific. To the west lie the Southern Alps, from whence the region's hot "nor'west" winds derive. Its sheltered position, but proximity to the sea give it warm days, cool nights, and a dry autumn, resulting in a very prolonged ripening period. This promotes intense flavor development and optimal ripeness, while retaining good natural acidity, perfect for growing Pinot noir. Winemakers Matthew Donaldson and Lynnette Hudson (husband and wife) believe in traditional, sustainable viticultural management, low crop levels, and minimal handling of fruit during processing, such that they capture the unique characteristics of the vineyard. |
|
OLIVIER LERICHE, Domaine de l'Arlot (Nuits-St.-Georges, France)
Located in the Côte de Nuits, 2 km south of Nuits-St.-Georges, Domaine de l'Arlot took its name from the "Clos de l'Arlot", a 10-acre vineyard surrounding the house. The French insurance group AXA bought the 33-acre estate in 1987 and in association with Jean-Pierre De Smet and Lise Judet, created Domaine de l'Arlot. In January 2007, Christian Seely took over as Managing Director and Olivier Leriche as technical director. The vineyards are mainly situated around Nuits-St.-Georges (Clos de l'Arlot, Clos des Forêts Saint Georges) as well as in Vosne-Romanée (Les Suchots, Romanée Saint Vivant). There are many old vines (some 50 years or more) with an average age of 30 years. The yields are kept very low by employing severe pruning and using natural compost in low quantities. Today the vineyard management is mainly organic with a biodynamic approach. Photo courtesy of Domaine de l'Arlot. |
|
MARK VLOSSAK, St. Innocent Winery (Salem, OR)
Mark Vlossak founded St. Innocent Winery in 1988. Fruit for six vineyard-designated Pinot noirs, Chardonnay, Pinot gris, and Pinot blanc wines are sourced from eight of the northern Willamette Valley's best winegrowers. Mark works closely with each grower to fine tune the viticultural practices in St. Innocent's vineyard blocks. His goal is to reveal the individual terrior of each vineyard by defining the individual textures and flavors in the wine from each site. Mark chooses winemaking techniques to produce wines with balanced complexity, a backbone of acidity, and the ability to age. Together these qualities ensure St. Innocent's place at the dinner table. In 2006, St. Innocent Winery joined with Tim and Kari Ramey as partners in Zenith Vineyard (formerly O'Connor Vineyard) in the Eola Hills. St. Innocent's new winery and Zenith's wedding and event facility are now open. St. Innocent is named for Mark's father, John Innocent Vlossak, who introduced his son to the pleasures of fine wine. St. Innocent's annual wine production is 9,400 cases. |
‣THE CHEFS
|
RENÉE ERICKSON, Boat Street Café & Boat Street Pickles (Seattle, WA)
Renée Erickson has been involved in cooking and art since the age of 22 – when she simultaneously finished up an art degree at the University of Washington and learned to cook at the then, fledgling Boat Street Café. Not many years later, after a stint in Europe learning to eat and cook, she entered into the food fray as the young new owner of her very own restaurant, none other than the Boat Street Café. Here her talents in food and her charming style flourished. Clearly Renée had found her true métier. Over the years since, her knowledge of food and her commitment to fresh, local, foraged and farmed, preferably organic ingredients has expanded significantly. She lives happily in Ballard with her dog Jeffry, two cats, and a potager. She is the chef/owner of the Boat Street Café & Boat Street Pickles and a frequent traveler to Europe. |
|
KEVIN GIBSON, EVoE (Portland, OR)
A native of Iowa City, Iowa, Kevin Gibson was the founding chef and present co-owner of Castagna and Café Castagna in Portland, Oregon. Prior to opening Castagna in 1999 with his wife, Monique Siu, Kevin was the founding chef at La Catalana, chef and pastry chef at Genoa, and part of the culinary team that launched Zefiro in 1990. A graduate of the University of Iowa, Kevin is committed to Portland's sustainable food community, supporting the local chapter of Slow Food, as well as the Portland Farmer's Market and the Eastbank Farmer's Market. Additionally, Kevin takes full advantage of the local harvest for his Italian and French-influenced cuisine. Castagna was chosen "Restaurant of the Year" in 2000 by the Oregonian and was honored as one of Gourmet's "Best Restaurants" in October 2000. After a glamour filled stint at Cameron Winery, Kevin now cooks in front of your eyes at Evoe, next door to Pastaworks in Portland. Photo courtesy of Kaie Wellman. |
|
JASON STOLLER SMITH, The Dundee Bistro (Dundee, OR)
Jason Stoller Smith, chef and partner at The Dundee Bistro, began his restaurant career at age 16. Working in kitchens along the pacific coast, Smith discovered his passion for cooking with fresh, local ingredients. Today, he seeks out organic and specialty products from nearby farms, ranches and wineries to enhance his regional cuisine and promote Oregon's bounty. In 2004, Smith was invited to present at the James Beard Centennial Dinner in New York. The Oregon Restaurant Association awarded him a scholarship to study food and wine pairing at Greystone in Napa Valley in 2005, and he was the featured Willamette Valley chef in Napa twice in 2006. Recently, he spoke at the annual convention for the International Corporate Chefs Association, addressing the utilization of locally grown, sustainable products in high volume restaurants. Smith regards his kitchen, nestled in the heart of wine country, as a true chef's dream. Photo courtesy of Andrea Johnson. |
|
CATHY WHIMS, Nostrana (Portland, OR)
Cathy Whims has been serving authentic regional Italian fare to Portland diners for nearly 25 years. She and her partner, David West, opened Nostrana in 2005 and quickly earned The Oregonian's designation of "Restaurant of the Year." Nostrana specializes in the regional cuisines of Italy using ingredients provided by many of the best farmers, cheese makers, and meat producers in the northwest. Nostrana has also been mentioned in many local and national magazines including Sunset, Details, Food & Wine, Northwest Palate, Gourmet, the New York Times Travel magazine, Alaska Airlines Magazine, and Italian Cooking and Living. Cathy is an active member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, Chef's Collaborative and Slow Food. She has also been invited to represent Oregon several times at the prestigious James Beard Awards Reception in New York City. She loves sharing her knowledge and is a frequent guest teacher at many schools around the region. |