Wining, Dining and Back Nine-ing
Author: Carolyn Koenig
August 2008
Food + Beverage
Of course you’ve heard of Pebble Beach—is there anyone out there who doesn’t equate Pebble Beach and golf? Can you say “Tiger Woods”?
Or maybe you’re a movie fan to whom Pebble Beach is synonymous with Clint Eastwood? Make our day.But we’ve got a new take on the luxe collection of resorts along Monterey Bay’s picturesque 17-Mile Drive that will have your incentive group salivating for the opportunity to attend: the 2nd Annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival, a four-day event held throughout the resorts on April 16–19 next spring.
To give you an idea of what to expect, the inaugural event a few months ago featured more than 50 prominent chefs and over 200 noted wineries from around the world. Events included tastings (both food and wine), demonstrations, seminars, food-and-wine pairings and a golf tournament. Venues ranged from The Lodge at Pebble Beach, The Inn at Spanish Bay, The Equestrian Center and Pebble Beach Golf Links.
Food and wine festivals are pretty ubiquitous these days, but as you’d expect at this premium destination, Pebble Beach’s was over the top. More than 3,000 people attended—a number that astonished even founders David Bernahl and Robert Weakley. And some participants shelled out as much as $4,750 to eat, drink and be merry.
The food? Sous chefs and assorted kitchen minions might have been helping prep the tastings or demonstrations, but it was Hubert Keller himself (Fleur de Lys) glazing vegetables and handing out divine shots of white gazpacho finished with a drizzle of truffle oil, celebrated TV chef and cookbook author Jacques Pepin generously spreading the blini with caviar, and Tre Wilcox (Dallas’ Abacus) garnishing melt-in-your-mouth grilled ahi with micro-greens.
As far as winemakers, Robert Mondavi was there, in one of his last public appearances. Numerous Master Sommeliers lent their expertise at dinners and seminars, and the list of wineries reads like the “Who’s Who” of vintners, from Silver Oak and Veuve Clicquot to Opus One.
To whet your appetite, here’s an overview of this year’s event—just imagine how the festival organizers will be pulling out all the stops (or corks) to top it!
Day 1—The Charity Chef/Winemaker Golf Tournament—a chance to watch the “stars” of the culinary and wine world just having fun (a few attendees got to play along as well), capped by the Opening Night Reception at The Inn at Spanish Bay (more than 200 wines—so much wine, so little time).
Day 2—Seminars and tastings, including Women in Wine (five top female winemakers) and Fusion at its Finest (featuring Roy Yamaguchi, of Roy’s, and Charles Phan, of San Francisco’s Slanted Door). A seated lunch was prepared by several top toques, including Masaharu Morimoto of Iron Chef. The Lexus Rare Wine Auction & Dinner at The Beach & Tennis Club—the most exclusive event of the weekend (get your top producers here next year!)—featured celebrity chefs like Thomas Keller, the only Michelin 7-star recipient (French Laundry, per se and Bouchon)—and a major international auction happening right before your eyes.
Day 3—A tasty menu of food and wine seminars, where one—the PlumpJack Cork Vs. Screwcap—had spirited opinions roiling. A recap (pardon the pun) from one participant: the response was about evenly divided between those who preferred cork and those who voted for the “Stelvin closure system,” aka “screwtops.” The remainder of the group? Just pour us another taste of the cabernet sauvignon, please.
From 12–3 p.m. was the Lexus Grand Tasting, with more than 300 wines and an opportunity to interact personally with the festival’s celebrity chefs. You couldn’t miss them—gigantic posters with their beauty shots served as a backdrop to their stations, and if you’re not a foodie, you just had to match the posters with the faces above the crisp white chef’s jackets with their names prominently embroidered. How about Joel Antunes of Restaurant Joel, Todd English of Olives, Elizabeth Falkner of Citizen Cake...
The evening boasted two Grand Finale Dinners—choosing between the likes of Michael Mina (of Michael Mina, Stripsteak at Mandalay Bay and Seablue at MGM Grand) and Thomas Keller.
Day 4—Dom Perignon tastings and a cooking demonstration with Ted Allen (Top Chef, Iron Chef America) were followed by the final event—another Lexus Grand Tasting. As happened after yesterday’s Grand Tasting, there were opportunities for book signings and photo sessions with some of the chefs.
Several lodging/event packages are available for next year’s festival. They don’t include golf, but surely a savvy planner can work out those details as well!
To quote chef Jacques Pepin, “People want to get together and be hedonistic.” Sounds like a terrific incentive prize to us! pebblebeachfoodandwine.com
