bASH Food and Wine Pairing Competition: Sip, Taste and Vote on April 13

If you don’t have anything planned yet for Saturday, April 13, we’ve got a fantastic suggestion for you!   Mark your calendars and go online NOW to purchase tickets for bASHan annual food and wine event from Appellation St. HelenaWhat is it?  Well, it’s basically a “bash” showcasing about 30 different wineries from this outstanding appellation in a food and wine pairing competition where your votes help select the winners.

For the second year, this delightfully fun event will take place between 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone (255 Main Street, St. Helena, 707-967-1100).   At last year’s bASH we were impressed three ways:  the wine itself, the food alone, and how well the elements of the food offerings complimented the flavor nuances of the wine.

We’ve been to a lot of food and wine events and the 2012 bASH was the most successful event we’ve attended with respect to the pairing of food and wine.  It was clear a LOT of thought had gone into the chefs’ dishes.   Part of the evening’s fun is that guests will be able to taste great dishes from local professionals, and various food offerings which are developed solely for this event by student chefs at the CIA after tasting (and analyzing) the wine their gourmet creations will be paired with.

Smoked Tri-Tip Sliders

Smoked Tri-Tip Sliders at the 2012 bASH

Tickets are $75 each and can be purchased here.  That’s a pretty good price for what is basically a 30-course Chef’s Tasting Menu with wine pairings for each course.  But you should move quickly…after March 31st the price increases to $85 per person.  So, go back to the link at the start of this paragraph and purchase your ticket(s) now – you won’t regret it.

If you’d like a better sense of the types of wines and food you will be able to savor at bASH, these are some of our favorite pairings from last year’s event:

  • Anomaly Vineyards had their Cabernet Sauvignon served with Smoked Tri-Tip Sliders with Blue Cheese Aioli
  • Calafia Cellars’ La Reina (Bordeaux Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Malbec) was poured next to Grilled Korean Short Rib Lettuce Wrap with Pickled Cucumbers and Scallions
  • Charnu Winery offered tastes of their Cabernet Sauvignon to the left of a plate of Roasted Mushroom, Caramelized Fennel and Pine Nut Dolmas accented with a Red Currant
  • Chase Cellars shared a Hayne Vineyard Zinfandel alongside Stout Braised Wild Boar Sliders on a Buttermilk Biscuit with Celery Root and Parsley Slaw
  • Robert Biale Vineyards’ Thomann Station Vineyard Petite Sirah was paired with Cocoa Rubbed Pork Loin with Dried Figs and Walnuts

Welcome to bASHAll five of those wineries will be back this year, and the other wineries participating at the 2013 bASH (so far) will be Ballentine Vineyards, Beringer Vineyards, Casa Nuestra, Charles Krug Winery, Crocker & Starr, David Fulton Winery, Ehlers Estate, Freemark Abbey, hope & grace, Jaffe Estate, J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines, Parry Cellars, Pellet Estate, Rutherford Grove, St. Helena Winery, Salvestrin Winery, Stanton Vineyards, Taplin Cellars, Titus Vineyards, Trinchero Napa Valley, V Madrone Cellars, Varozza Vineyards, and Vineyard 29.

The CIA, site of the 2013 bASH

The CIA, site of the 2013 bASH

Chef participants?   Other than about 20 teams from The Culinary Institute of America, you can expect to find small plates from Napa Valley’s Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen, Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant, The Grill at Meadowood, La Condesa, Market, Mustards Grill, Panevino, and Tra Vigne

Once again, to purchase tickets, just go here.  We had a blast last year, and can’t wait for this year’s festivities.

Appellation St. Helena (a non-profit organization of wineries and grape growers in the St. Helena AVA) is presenting this event in partnership with the St. Helena Chamber of Commerce, the Napa Valley Destination Council, Arts Council Napa Valley, and the bASH event is sponsored by Le Creuset.   Appellation St. Helena has over 50 winery and grape grower members who actively promote their wines and the local community through charity events, wine tastings, and community involvement.


Comments

bASH Food and Wine Pairing Competition: Sip, Taste and Vote on April 13 — 3 Comments

  1. For the professionals, the winner was Market with their Mac ‘n’ Cheese. For the Student Teams, 1st place was Jenna Demarco and Liz Strole for their Braised Short Rib Slider, 2nd place was David Moosman and Stephanie Torgerson for their Beef Wellington, and 3rd place was James Dagleish and Cody Bucholz who made 3 separate dishes for Titus’ three wines.

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