A Five-Day Festival of Food and Wine Benefiting the CIA
February 24, 2017 — Napa, CA – Flavor! Napa Valley takes place March 22 – 26, 2017, during Napa Valley’s “Cabernet Season” (November through April). The five-day event, which supports programs and scholarships at The Culinary Institute of America’s (CIA) Greystone Campus in St. Helena, CA, celebrates both Napa Valley and CIA graduate chefs and winemakers with exclusive food and wine experiences that bring out the best flavors of the legendary Napa Valley. Tickets for Flavor! Napa Valley are available at FlavorNapaValley.com.
A highlight of Flavor! Napa Valley 2017 events include:
- Thursday, March 23, 2017 – “From Vineyard to Bottle – Exploring Napa Valley with Iconic Winemaker Heidi Barrett” at the CIA at Copia 2:30 – 4 p.m.; $95 per person
Moderated by wine, food and television star Leslie Hartley-Sbrocco of KQED’s “Check, Please!” this exclusive seminar and tasting is focused on Heidi’s secrets behind how she captures the deep and complex flavors of the fruit in the wines she makes for her La Sirena and Barrett & Barrett labels, as well as other special selections from the highly-touted Napa Valley brands Paradigm, Fantesca, Kenzo Estate and Lamborn Family Vineyards.
- Thursday, March 23, 2017 – “Napa Valley Icons Dinner” presented by the Silverado Resort and Spa at Silverado Resort and Spa 6 – 10 p.m.; $295 per person
Guests will celebrate the food and wine icons of the Napa Valley at the Silverado Resort and Spa while honoring legendary winemaker Heidi Barrett, who is responsible for some of California’s most notable cult wines. From multiple 100-point rated wines to setting a world record when a 6-liter bottle of her Screaming Eagle 1992 Cabernet Sauvignon sold for $500,000 at the Napa Valley Wine Auction in 2000.
Participating chefs include Host Chef Jeffrey Jake from Silverado Resort and Spa; Matthew Accarrino from SPQR; Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski from State Bird Provisions and The Progress; Ken Frank from La Toque; Michael Schulson from Schulson Collective; and esteemed CIA graduate Waldy Malouf.
- Friday, March 24, 2017 – Chef Demo “Tyler Malek and Lisa Vega at the CIA at Copia 10 – 11:30 a.m.; $75 per person
Indulge your sweet tooth with Chefs Tyler Malek, co-owner and chef of Salt & Straw Ice Cream, and Lisa Vega, executive pastry chef at Dandelion Chocolate. Guests will experience what happens when great minds collide with their unique use of ingredients, techniques, and secret tricks of the trade, and reap the delicious benefits of this culinary match with Salt & Straw’s innovative, seasonally-driven ice cream, and Dandelion’s small batch bean to bar chocolate.
- Friday, March 24, 2017 – Terroir to Table – “The Blend Experience at Paraduxx” at Paraduxx Winery 10 – 11:30 a.m.; $95 per person
During this lively, hands-on experience, guests will be guided through a component tasting of the three core varietals that make up Paraduxx and learn the techniques of winemaking. Wines will be seasonally paired with bites from local chefs, Natalie and Jonathan Niksa, of La Saison, Napa Valley.
- Friday, March 24, 2017 – Terroir to Table – “The Spirited Side of Napa Valley” at 2:30 – 4 p.m.; $95 per person
The class is designed to showcase the spirited side of Napa Valley. Guests will start with a welcome beverage and short distillery tour, followed by a whiskey barrel tasting with the Napa Distillery owner and distiller. After the tour, guests will enjoy a multi-course small plate and cocktail/spirits pairing experience in the grand tasting salon. Each course will be prepared exclusively for each cocktail/spirit, made with spirits crafted at the distillery.
- Saturday, March 25 – Terroir to Table – “Exercise Your Senses with St. Supery Estate Vineyards and Winery at Supery Estate Vineyards 10 – 11:30 a.m.; $95 per person
This class explores wine aromas suggestive of fruit character, barrel aging and terroir while tasting four estate grown St. Supéry wines. Guests will exercise their sense of smell through a series of aroma identifications designed to discover how personal sensory memory impacts how aromas are recognized. This interactive sommelier-led experience includes a mystery wine game to ultimately guide guests to identify more aromas in their glass to heighten the enjoyment of wine.
- Saturday, March 25 – “Legendary Napa Valley, The Grand Tasting” at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone VIP admission is 6 – 7 p.m. and tickets are $225 per person; general admission is at 7 p.m. and tickets are $175 per person.
The sixth annual Grand Tasting at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena allows guests to taste their way through the Napa Valley with a selection of sweet and savory bites from more than 25 Napa Valley restaurants, paired with wine from more than 80 Napa Valley wineries. Participating restaurants include Angele Restaurant; Brasswood; Harvest Table; Lucy Restaurant & Bar; Nuri; PRESS Restaurant; Sam’s Social Club; Silverado Resort & Spa; Tarla Mediterranean Bar & Grill; The Farm at Carneros; and The Restaurant at Auberge du Soleil.
Flavor! Napa Valley includes additional Napa Valley Wine Tours; Terroir to Table events, Chef Demonstrations, and Wine Classes. Visit Napa Valley is proud to announce the event sponsors for Flavor! Napa Valley 2017:
- Founding Sponsor: Silverado Resort and Spa
- Presenting Sponsor: Downtown Napa Association
- Jeroboam Sponsor: Bright Event Rentals
- Double Magnum Sponsors: Celebrity Cruises, Mr. Espresso, TriMark, Napa Valley Marriott
Media sponsors include The Wall Street Journal, Wine Spectator, Diablo, Napa/Sonoma Magazine, Where Magazine, Dot429, San Francisco Travel, San Francisco Chronicle, Modern Luxury, Fine Cooking Magazine, Feast It Forward and Napa Valley Life Magazine.
Visit Napa Valley, the official tourism marketing organization for the Napa Valley, is the event presenter and founder of Flavor! Napa Valley. Andrew Freeman & Co. is responsible for event sponsorships and programming, and Dominic Phillips Event Marketing (DPEM) is responsible for concept design and production. Net proceeds from the event support programs and scholarships at The Culinary Institute of America’s Greystone Campus in St. Helena, CA.
About The Culinary Institute of America
Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is the world’s premier culinary college. Dedicated to developing leaders in foodservice and hospitality, the independent, not-for-profit CIA offers bachelor’s degree majors in management, culinary science, and applied food studies; associate degrees in associate degrees in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts; and executive education through its Food Business School.
About Visit Napa Valley
Visit Napa Valley is the official tourism marketing organization for the Napa Valley, with a mission to promote, protect and enhance the region’s position as one of the world’s premier wine, food, arts and wellness destinations. The area, known for its legendary hospitality, is also internationally recognized as one of only nine “Great Wine Capitals” and has more Michelin Stars per capita than any other wine region in the world.
The Napa Valley, conveniently located just an hour from the San Francisco Bay Area, consists of the following distinctive towns, including, from north to south, Calistoga, St. Helena, Rutherford/Oakville, Yountville, the city of Napa, American Canyon, and the outdoor recreation area of Lake Berryessa.
The Napa Valley Welcome Center, located at 600 Main St. along the riverfront in downtown Napa, provides visitors with expert Concierge services from Napa Valley Ambassadors who offer complimentary Napa Valley Guidebooks, maps, brochures and winery tasting passes. The Welcome Center, open daily 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., also offers complimentary Wi-Fi and a mercantile shop featuring locally sourced gift items.
For additional information on the Napa Valley, or to plan your Napa Valley experience, please explore www.VisitNapaValley.com, join “The Napa Valley” on Facebook, and follow @VisitNapaValley on Twitter.
