Wine for Good: Johnson & Wales Epicurean Scholarship Society Dinner

“Wine is meant to be with food - that’s the point of it.”

— Julia Child

---

There's nothing quite like a culinary experience that brings together the best in food and the best in wine. Because we recognize the importance of food as a part of the wine experience (and vice versa) and because we also recognize that the more people given access to and involved in the industry the greater chance for creativity, progress, and excellence, we helped sponsor an event at Johnson and Wales University in Providence Rhode Island. 

The Epicurian Scholarship Society at Johnson and Wales is a group of alumni who generously donate to a scholarship fund to help lower income students afford a degree in Culinary Arts. One source of this funding is a series of events featuring celebrity chef alumni who return to campus and work with students to prepare and serve outstanding meals. 

Johnson and Wales graduate and Vineyard Brands sales rep Patrick Harney attended the April  17 dinner featuring Tom Condron, owner of The Liberty and Lumiere French Kitchen in Charlotte, NC. Thanks to Patrick's efforts and belief in the Epicurian Scholarship Society's mission (and thanks to aid from Vineyard Brands own Hubert Fabre, Olivier Lotterie,  and Paul Nerz) Vineyard Brands provided the wines for the evening.  

Before the meal, Chef Condron and Patrick talked about each dish and the wine served. What makes Vineyard Brands' portfolio so ideal for events like this, and what makes the portfolio so distinct, is all of our wines ability to enhance and elevate the dishes without overwhelming. 

This trait was deeply appreciated among the diners, who were themselves very successful culinarians. 

At the risk of making your mouth water, we're sharing the menu and wine pairings from the evening with you. Perhaps you'll be inspired to recreate similar pairings. 

First Course: Roasted Butternut Squash Soup | braised jowl, glazed onions, fresh egg, crispy sweetbreads, crème fraiche. 
Domaine Weinbach Pinot Blanc 2016

Second Course: Butter Poached Maine Lobster | Fresh Hearts of Palm, Haricots Verts, Trumpet Royale Mushroom, Walnut Oil Vinaigrette
Francois Carillon Puligny-Montrachet 2015

Third Course: Escalope of Black Sea Bass | Sautéed Smoked Bacon, Chicory, Celery Root, Potato Confit, Alsatian-Style Dressing
Tablas Creek Côte de Tablas Blanc 2015

Fourth Course: Elysian Fields Farm Lamb Loin | Smoked Aubergine, Sheep's Milk Yoghurt, Composition of Winter Onions, Lamb-Truffle Jus
Famille Perrin Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2015

Fifth Course: French Garden | Artisan Cheese, Pickled Vegetables, Chocolate Edible Soil, Honeycomb
Miles Madeira 10 Year Old Malmsey Madeira

---

After the meal, Patrick stayed behind to conduct a tasting of each of the wines featured at the dinner with student servers and kitchen staff who helped prepare and serve the meal. There was such genuine interest in our wines from these young students. 

Head of Beverage Education at Johnson and Wales Ed Korry, former President of the SWE (Society of Wine Educators), was there for Patrick's tasting. 

---

“Wine makes a symphony of a good meal.”

— Fernande Garvin, ‘The Art of French Cooking’

We have a feeling these students will be creating beautiful music of their own soon.

You can read more about the dinner and kitchen lessons taught by Chef Condron from Johnson & Wales here. 

Eat, Drink, & Be Thankful

A little turkey, a little wine, and everything's fine. But how do you decide what wine to drink with the turkey...and the yeast rolls, the sweet potato casserole, the stuffing...? With so many different flavors all competing for attention at Thanksgiving dinner it can be a true challenge to pick the right wine. But Vineyard Brands is here to save the day! 

---

Patrick Bennett, Vineyard Brands Sales Manager for New Jersey and Pennsylvania, has a tried and true favorite. Learn a little bit about just why it works so well with the Thanksgiving meal: 

"After many years of casual trials and two consecutive years of full on Thanksgiving experimentation, I am absolutely  convinced that Rosé Champagne is hands down the most appropriate wine for the Thanksgiving Table. Unlike most whites it has the bright red fruit to stand up to the heavier dishes and the red berry flavor of the cranberry sauce (this is usually the limiting agent for most wines on Thanksgiving and is a required Thanksgiving condiment). It’s bright and refreshing after each bite whether its dry turkey, rich bready/herbaceous stuffing, tart cranberry, or creamy gravy. It washes away the bitterness of Brussel sprouts and can balance the sweetness of roasted carrots and sweet potatoes. Cornbread: perfect. Crescent rolls: even more perfect. Mashed potatoes with roasted garlic??: easy one. It is the ultimate Thanksgiving wine!"

Looking to take Patrick's advice and add a sparkling wine to your Thanksgiving table? 

Champagne Delamotte  makes a beautiful Brut Rosé.
And although not technically Champagne, Alma Negra in Mendoza, Argentina has a Brut Nature Rosé made from Malbec and Pinot Noir grapes. 

---

Patrick Harney, Vineyard Brands Sales Manager for DC, Delaware, and Maryland, has some wonderful recommendations of his own...and don't think he suggests Vineyard Brands because he works here. Long before he began working for the company, wines from the Vineyard Brands portfolio were on his family's Thanksgiving table for years. 

Wines from the VB portfolio across the board share comfortable, food friendly, savory characteristic along with a level of class regardless of their region or continent of origin. These family wines are perfect for your family meal. 

Now settle in, Patrick H. has just the wine for every taste.

"If you're looking to add a wine icon to your Thanksgiving table: 

Weinbach Pinot Blanc or Sylvaner-super versatile and crowd-pleasing, both have hints of hard spice in addition to their wonderfully complex fruit traits making them perfect autumnal whites.  When the conversation at the table turns political all you need to do is stick your nose in the glass and the aromas will take your mind away.  By the way the ‘16’s just arrived in my market and the wines are off the charts-rich ripe fruit with precise acidity.

Thibault Liger Belair Moulin A Vent-I agree that Beaujolais is one of the best reds to pair with Thanksgiving dinner and Thibault’s are the planet’s best examples of Beaujolais.

If you're looking to add other of our favorites, equally classy but potentially not as intimidating: 

Pichot Vouvray-very versatile and crowd pleasing…Comfort wine.

Tablas Creek Cote de Tablas Blanc-The Viognier in this highlights the savory of the turkey and the sweet of the yams and squash.

Massolino Dolcetto-a riff on the Beaujolais theory and there happen to be a lot of Italians in my family, so pasta and other Italian dishes or sides often find their way onto our Thanksgiving tables.

For affordable, crowd-pleasing burgundies try: 

Vincent & Sophie Morey Santenay Les Hates
Mongeard-Mugneret Fixin  and Sauvigny Les Beaune (Narbontons)
Thibault Liger-Belair Deux Terres

And with any meal, Champagne Delamotte Blanc de Blancs is always a welcome addition."

---

Red, white, or bubbly, there's certain to be a wine that will fit your tastes and your needs this Thanksgiving.  

Sales Rep Spotlight: Rosé Cookout

Rosé is THE drink of the summer. As we've mentioned before, a good rule of thumb for pairing Rosés with food is to remember "Pink & Provençal". Easy enough since that describes Rosé itself. 

Our sales rep Patrick Harney used that advice when he hosted a Rosé Cookout for Bacchus Importers' Maryland Sales Team. Read more from Patrick to learn how and why he came up with the idea, why he thinks Rosé is so popular, and some of his favorite recipes to pair with Rosé.

"Summertime for me means summer camp.  I think about how my kids learn in summer camp versus how they learn in school and sometimes I wonder whether the experiential learning they enjoy at camp isn’t more effective than the methods employed by their schools.  There’s a lot to be said about making a point experientially.  Too often we stand in front of our wholesale sales teams and deliver Powerpoint presentations chock full of features and benefits in hopes that as a result, sales will magically increase.  When Beth Kostelnik  (my then Brand Manager at Bacchus) told me I should have a rosé dinner and take lots of pictures and put them on social media, I thought what a terrific idea that was...even though I am seriously social media challenged.  I later decided to expand on that idea and make the sales team at Bacchus a Rosé-centric lunch.  I thought the team could benefit from how wonderfully Rosé works with Provence-inspired dishes and thus be able to share the experience with their retail and restaurant customers.

The dishes were all adaptations from Richard Olney’s Provence cookbook--a really terrific book full of pictures and easy to follow recipes.  I did most of the prep at home on Thursday evening.  On Friday, grilling commenced out near the loading dock while the sales team went into their meeting.  Once done, everything was set up buffet style in the kitchen, the sales team served themselves and we shared lunch together back in the sales room.  I started the discussion by sharing some of the latest IRI data clearly showing the incredible growth of both the Rosé category and many Vineyard Brands’ Rosés in particular.  After tossing some numbers around I explained why I chose the dishes to be served and the geographic and cultural ties that Rosé had to Provençal cuisine.  The discussion turned to more of roundtable forum discussing favorite Rosés and specific food pairings.  We, of course, talked a lot about food…who, in our business, doesn’t love to eat?  We came around to how casually but effectively Rosé is able to pair with all kinds of food in general and how maybe that’s the real reason behind the incredible growth of this type of wine.

Many years ago,  I attended an organized Pinot Gris and white varietals tasting conducted by Erath of Oregon. The tasting used various samples of food to illustrate the versatility of Pinot Gris, how it is able to pair with cheese, vegetables, protein, etc. It was very well done and their point was effectively made.  I recall at the time thinking that this was perhaps the reason behind the baffling rise in the popularity of Pinot Grigio.  Certainly the tastes and preferences of wine consumers always seem to be downright mysterious and I think many of us professionals tend to underestimate them.  I think the rise of Rosé and the continued success of Pinot Grigio show that consumers embrace wines which are fresh and easily approachable yet show a refined ability to pair well with many different types of food.   While we can talk forever as to what works and why in our business, sometimes the best way to understand it is by sharing in the experience.  I think that’s what was accomplished at the Rosé Cookout.  Beyond that, the rosé cookout was a great way to really connect with the Bacchus team. Sales reps are used to having suppliers buy them lunch, so they are more deeply touched when the supplier actually makes them lunch.  They appreciate the extra effort and care which comes with doing more than merely whipping out a credit card." 

Menu: 

Vegetable Crudite
Grilled Country Bread with Anchovy Oil

Grilled Tuna Steaks with Tomato and Persillade
Grilled Chicken with Olive Tapenade
Grilled Sausages

Ratatouille
Zucchini Gratin
Rosemary-ed Baby Spring Potatoes

You can find the cookbook Patrick used on Amazon. If you'd like more recipes to try with your favorite rosé, check out our blog post on rosé and food pairings here.