Springtime In Napa: Flavor! Napa Valley

Flavor Napa Valley logoIf you’re ready to celebrate the coming of Spring and revel in Napa Valley’s food and wine attractions, then we’ve got a suggestion for you: Flavor! Napa Valley. This five-day festival benefits the Culinary Institute of America and has over 20 events bringing out the best flavors of the valley between March 22 and 26, 2017. So, grab your credit card and start planning for wine tastings, cooking demonstrations, and/or walk-around food and wine events that meet your personal preferences (and help you forget about all that winter weather we’ve been having).

You can even sign up for 18 holes of golf at the beautiful Silverado Resort, bookended with a welcoming continental breakfast and a post-tournament reception with over 20 food and wine purveyors.  Redesigned by PGA Hall of Famer Johnny Miller, the courses feature dozens of water crossings, elevation changes and routing through historic oak trees.  If you don’t know, Silverado was the most recent, and will be the next, host for the Safeway Open stop on the PGA Tour.

Sam's Social Club

Sam’s Social Club

Flavor! Napa Valley offers cooking demonstrations from Chefs Tyler Florence, Richard Blais, Chris Cosentino and others while chefs at special dinners include Ken Frank, Matthew Accarrino and Curtis di Fede.  Restaurants participating at various events include 1313 MainAngèle, Basalt, Harvest TableKitchen Door, Sam’s Social ClubTarla Mediterranean Bar & Grill, and Torc.

Wineries from all over Napa Valley will be pouring wines at events as well including Cakebread Cellars, Chappellet, Charles Krug Winery, Pine Ridge Vineyards, Schramsberg, Truchard VineyardsY. Rousseau Wines and ZD Wines. Or, maybe you’d prefer to mix things up with the Napa Valley Distillery tour and whiskey barrel tasting.

Keep reading while we discuss some of the major events taking place at the 2017 Flavor! Napa Valley, then go here to get your tickets (and see the entire list of event options) and start planning that travel wardrobe.

Flavor! Napa Valley: Events

Here are some items on the menu comprising the 2017 Flavor! Napa Valley experience:

Pellet Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Pellet Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Chef and Winemaker Golf Tournament – March 23, 9 am to 2 pm (with Reception afterwards)
Join local chefs and winemakers for the day on Silverado Resort and Spa’s championship golf course (1600 Atlas Peak Road, Napa). Enjoy a continental breakfast, 18 holes, specialty beverages and the famed burger dog lunch. Starting at 2 pm, the post-tournament reception features over 20 of Napa Valley’s finest food and wine purveyors including Barlow Vineyards, Bougetz Cellars, Cakebread Cellars, Clif Family, Mending Wall, Modus Operandi Cellars, Pellet Estate, The Restaurant at CIA Copia, Spoto Family Wines, Stanton Vineyards and ZD Wines.  $175 per person (includes pre- and post-reception, golf, cart, food and beverage, a sleeve of golf balls, and a commemorative hat)

Icons Dinner – March 23, 6 pm to 10 pm
Celebrate food and wine icons (including Winemaker Heidi Barrett) at a multi-course dinner paired with outstanding wines at the Silverado Resort and Spa (1600 Atlas Peak Road, Napa). Chefs include Jeffrey Jake (Silverado Resort and Spa), Matthew Accarrino (SPQR), Stuart Brioza & Nicole Krasinski (State Bird Provisions and The Progress), Ken Frank (La Toque), Waldy Malouf (CIA) and Michael Schulson (Schulson Collective).  $295 per person

New Stars of Napa Valley Dinner – March 24, 6 pm to 10 pm
Come learn about the next generation of Napa Valley cooking stars at an exciting meal emceed by Joel Riddell (Dining Around). Chefs under the spotlight include Josh Balague and Ethan Speizer (nuri), Curtis di Fede (Miminashi), Sharon Li (PRESS Restaurant) and Jeff Mosher (Robert Mondavi Winery). The dinner will be served at Robert Mondavi Winery (7801 St. Helena Highway, Oakville) and feature wines from Robert Mondavi Winery and Schramsberg. $195 per person

Annie The Baker

Annie The Baker

Grand Tasting – March 25, 7 pm to 9:30 pm
Taste your way through Napa Valley with bites from over 25 restaurants and 80 wineries waiting to entertain you at the CIA at Greystone (2555 Main Street, St. Helena).  The evening also offers cooking demonstrations and a photo booth to help you and your friends commemorate the event (and possibly add to your social media feeds). Restaurants and food purveyors include Angèle, Annie the Baker, Azzurro Pizzeria & Enoteca, Brasswood, Harvest Table, Jax Diner, Mr. EspressoNorman Rose Tavern, Sam’s Social Club, and Tarla Mediterranean Bar & Grill.

Truchard Vineyards

Truchard Vineyards

Participating Wineries include Acumen, Barlow Vineyards, Chappellet, Clos Du Val, Eleven Eleven Wines, Freemark Abbey, Grgich Hills Estate, Keenan Winery, O’Shaughnessy Estate Winery, Parry Cellars, Phifer Pavitt Winery, Trefethen Family Vineyards, Truchard Vineyards, Wallis Family Estate, Y. Rousseau Wines and Yao Family Wines.  $175 per person

Grand Tasting/VIP Access – March 25, 2017, 6 pm to 9:30 pm
For an additional $50, VIP tickets give you early entrance to the Flavor! Napa Valley Grand Tasting before the General Admission ticket holders, with exclusive access to selected wines between 6 and 7 pm.  $225 per person

Other Flavor! Napa Valley activities (between $75 and $95 per person) include:

Flavor! Napa Valley: Package Deal

Culinary Institute of America at Greystone

CIA at Greystone

If you’re ready for three days of fun, consider treating yourself to a trio of Flavor! Napa Valley events. The “Grand Dame” pass includes tickets to the Icons Dinner on Thursday evening, New Stars Dinner on Friday evening, and VIP access to Saturday’s Grand Tasting at the CIA in St. Helena. Each Grand Dame pass is $654 per person.

Flavor! Napa Valley: Lodging

The Valley is home to an exquisite selection of choices and you can learn more about special offers from Flavor! Napa Valley Partner Properties if you go here. Some hotels are even offering stay packages which include tickets to the already-sold-out First Taste Napa kickoff event on Wednesday, March 22: Embassy Suites Napa Valley, Meritage Resort & Spa, Napa River Inn and Napa Winery Inn.

CIA at Copia

CIA at Copia

What is First Taste Napa?  It’s a “Downtown Social” presented by the Downtown Napa Association with over 15 restaurants and 40 wineries from Napa Valley sharing food and wine samples between 6 pm and 8:30 pm and it’s the opening event for Flavor! Napa Valley.  It’s taking place at the recently opened CIA at Copia (500 1st Street, Napa) so if you missed the Grand Opening last month, here’s your chance to explore the location. Attendees can savor local dishes, premium wines, live entertainment and then review and bid on exciting silent auction offerings.

Y. Rousseau Wines

Y. Rousseau Wines

 

Participating restaurants at First Taste Napa include 1313 MainBasalt, Bounty Hunter, Compadres Rio Grille, Kitchen Door, Norman Rose Tavern, and Torc. Wineries include Amici Cellars, Broman Cellars, Ceja Vineyards, Charles Krug Winery, Durant & Booth, Pellet Estate, Pine Ridge Vineyards, Pope Valley Winery, Tournesol, Volker Eisele Family Estate, Y. Rousseau Wines and Young Inglewood Vineyards.

 

Have you made your selection(s)?  Then just go here to review details about the 2017 Flavor! Napa Valley event and start purchasing your tickets.   Time to welcome in Springtime!

 

CIA LogoFlavor! Napa Valley helps support programs and scholarships at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), 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 culinary arts and baking and pastry arts, and executive education through its Food Business school. The college also offers certificate programs and courses for professionals and enthusiasts.

Visit Napa Valley is the official tourism marketing organization for the Napa Valley, one of the world’s premier wine, food, arts and wellness destinations. The Napa Valley Welcome Center (600 Main Street, Napa) provides visitors with expert concierge services as well as guidebooks, maps, brochures and winery tasting passes between 9 am and 5 pm each day.

 

 


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