Our favorite wine & food festival is getting closer, and the list of participating wineries, restaurants and chefs is looking extraordinarily impressive this year. We’re talking about, of course, the Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival, happening September 20-23 at some of the greatest venues anywhere, the Newport Mansions. Starting on Thursday, and running through Sunday, this festival gives everyone a chance to indulge, experience and just have some fun. We love it, and have been every year. Needless to say we won’t be 
missing this one.
You can read all about the various events, the wineries and restaurants, and the special dinners at the festival website: http://www.newportmansions.org/events/wine-and-food-festival.
Tickets are on sale, and they have released the seminar list. The seminars are always a favorite of ours, and give you a chance to sit for an hour or two in an intimate setting and learn about different wines and food, all from world experts and winery ambassadors. These happen Friday and Saturday, and we’ve copied in the list from the festival website below.
This will be great, again. See you there!
A votre santé!
Friday, September 21, 2018
Le Grand Fromage
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
The Breakers Stable & Carriage House
Admission: $65
Back by popular demand! Take a trip around the globe with an expert selection of artisanal cheeses each with their own taste, texture, story and sense of place along with a flight of a wines from a variety of regions. Featured winery: St. Francis Winery
Flight of the Oyster
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
The Breakers Stable & Carriage House
Admission: $65
The flavor profiles of different oysters are indeed varied and complex, often described much in the same way one discusses fine wines. Join us for a guided oyster odyssey as we navigate the fresh waters of Rhode Island to experience the tastes and the subtle differences between the legendary Walrus and Carpenter Oysters from Ninigret Pond and Dutch Harbor, Matunuck Oysters from Potter Pond and Salt Pond Select Oysters from Point Judith Pond. Learn about these beautiful bivalves from the various Rhode Island oyster farms along with wine pairings that complement their unique characteristics.
SIMI Luncheon
12:00 PM -2:00 PM
Grace Vanderbilt Grace Hotel
Admission: $75
Celebrate the flavors of Sonoma County in an east coast, historic and elegant setting, the Grace Vanderbilt Hotel on Bellevue Avenue. This three-course luncheon will be carefully designed and prepared by SIMI Winery Chef Kolin Vazzoler in partnership with hotel Chef Anthony Theocaropoulos. These two culinary minds embrace the practice of using farm fresh, seasonal products in their dishes. Each course will be perfectly paired with a SIMI Wine and presented and discussed in this intimate setting. Enjoy a sip of California in the Newport Breeze!
Bodega Catena Zapata: World Class Malbec from Argentina
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
The Breakers Stable & Carriage House
Admission: $65
Learn about the most famous Argentinian Malbec. With Malbec’s Bordelaise (Bordeaux) importance and southwestern French (Cahors) birthplace, it has found a happy home in the high-altitude hillsides of the Andes. The altitude, exposure to the sun, complex and unique soil types and elective winemaking all play a role in the success story. Join Catena Brand Ambassador and Advanced Certified Sommelier Marika Vida on a whirlwind tasting tour of Bodega Catena Zapata – wines of unparalleled quality, class and style.
A Rosé Kind of Day
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
The Breakers Stable & Carriage House
Admission: $65
Rosé has taken the world by storm. The past three years have seen an accelerated expansion like no other category of wine. Taste and learn about this universally adored, refreshing and food-friendly wine from the Mediterranean to the United States.
A Golden State of Mind
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
The Breakers Stable & Carriage House
Admission: $65
California is the epicenter of the American wine industry. Learn what makes this vast west coast landscape so important to the quality, the integrity and the character of the wines it produces. Guests will taste and enjoy spectacular California from producers including Chappellet Winery (Pritchard Hill), Robert Mondavi Winery (Oakville), Aloft (Howell Mountain), Stonestreet (Alexander Valley) and Long Meadow Ranch (St. Helena). This widespread selection celebrates the variety and the quality of wines that make California wines famous world-wide. Join us for this one hour seminar dedicated to California Cabernet.
Bubbles and Caviar: An Italian Love Affair
4:30 PM – 6:00 PM
The Breakers Stable & Carriage House
Admission: $65
Caviar and Bubbles have long been considered a perfect gourmet match. Taste and learn about two of the world’s most appreciated and luxurious delicacies, discovering how the flavors of the caviar are beautifully enhanced by the texture of Italian bubbles and its varying degrees of body and dryness. Learn from Calvisius Caviar experts, one of the finest caviar producers in Italy, as they pair up with Ca’ del Bosco to present the world’s most extravagant tandem indulgence…Caviar and Bubbles!
Saturday, September 22, 2018
Opus One
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
The Breakers Stable & Carriage House
Admission: $150
In 1978 Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Robert Mondavi sat together at Château Mouton Rothschild. In less than two hours the two gentlemen had created the dream of Opus One: a single red wine of absolute quality that would reflect the personality and character of both partners. The two men imagined a seamless blend of their wine making and cultures. The first of its kind, the joint venture began in Napa Valley with its first vintage in 1979. Released with great fanfare in 1984, Opus One has since grown to worldwide recognition. The iconic winery, which evokes the elegance and balance of the partnership, was completed in 1991. While always following a singular vision, the wines of Opus One have been fashioned over the years by a variety of winemakers from both Château Mouton Rothschild and Robert Mondavi. Beginning with the 2001 vintage however, all of Opus One’s wines have been crafted by one winemaker, Michael Silacci. This tasting, presented by the winery’s senior stateswoman France Posener, will take an in depth look at the evolution of grape growing, winemaking philosophy and expert techniques that all contribute to the beauty that is Opus One. Featured vintages include 2003, 2005, 2007, 2010, and 2013.
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