Over the years, the wine clubs of Vinesse have featured numerous wines made from grapes grown in the acclaimed Beckstoffer Vineyard, as well as several bottlings from Bonny Doon Vineyard.
Now, two men closely associated with those wines – along with three other legends of California wine – are about to be honored for their contributions.
The Culinary Institute of America will honor the 2010 Vintners Hall of Fame inductees on March 13 with a day-long “Celebration of California Wine & Food,” culminating with the Vintners Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
The ceremony will be preceded by a 6 p.m. reception featuring wines representing the 2007, 2008 and 2009 inductees. The 2010 class to be inducted includes long-time Napa Valley grower Andy Beckstoffer; Randall Grahm, founder of Bonny Doon Vineyard; Al Brounstein, founder of Diamond Creek Vineyard; veteran winemaker Zelma Long; and Leon Adams, a founder of the Wine Institute.
The evening celebration will continue with a walk-around dinner in the school’s Teaching Kitchen with celebrity chefs and winemakers including Michael Chiarello, Todd Humphries, Christopher Kostow, Anne Gingrass-Paik and Sarah Scott.
Guests joining this year’s Celebration will have the opportunity to attend a morning Wine & Food Salon at the CIA at Greystone, followed by a wine country lunch, tour and tasting at a prestigious Napa Valley winery.
There are a limited number of seats available for “Creating Flavor: The Art of Food & Wine Pairing,” featuring wine expert and chair of the CIA’s Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies, Karen MacNeil, and CIA chef Bill Briwa.
Wine writer and chair of the VHF Electoral College, Blake Gray, will join David Breitstein for the morning’s other Wine & Food Salon, “Big, Bold, and Beautiful: Tasting Historic Magnums from the California Collection of David and Judy Breitstein.”
Proceeds from the Vintners’ Celebration of California Wine & Food will provide scholarships for the Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies.
The cost of the evening reception, induction ceremony and walk-around dinner is $250 ($150 of which is tax-deductible). Each $250 ticket includes the opportunity to purchase a Wine & Food Salon seat and a tour, tasting and lunch at a Napa Valley winery for an additional $150 ($75 tax-deductible).
For more information on the 2010 Vintners Hall of Fame Induction celebration, contact Reuben Katz at 707-967-2305 or r_katz@culinary.edu.
The Vintners Hall of Fame at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone is open to the public daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information on the Vintners Hall of Fame and to view the list of 2007, 2008 and 2009 inductees with their photos and biographies, visit ciavintnershalloffame.com.
