It’s hard to believe that Friday March 2nd will be the start of my 3rd annual Berkeley Wine Festival at the Claremont Hotel, Club & Spa. A two month extravaganza celebrating the wines of California.
The festival starts with a grand opening reception featuring more than fifty different wines, presented at tasting booths by representatives from the wineries and paired with cuisine created by a colander-wielding confab of acclaimed Berkeley chef friends.
This all-star kitchen includes Wood Tavern’s Yang Peng, Gather’s James Beard Award Finalist Sean Baker, Summer Kitchen’s Paul Arenstam, Venus & Revival Bar & Kitchen’s Amy Murray & Travis McConnell, Cafe Rouge’s Rick DeBeaord, Slow’s Kyle Anderson, Kirala’s Akira Komine, Southie’s Morgan Preston-Jones, Paragon’s Marcos Sanchez along with The Cheese Board Collective & Pastry Chef Janine Fong of the Claremont Hotel.
The festival continues through April with a series of Wednesday dinners spotlighting winemakers and winery proprietors at my restaurant Meritage. On March 14th winemaker Damian Parker of Joseph Phelps will be pouring his iconic label . March 21st Julie Johnson returns to showcase her amazing boutique Tres Sabores Winery. April 4th Daniel Baron continues this commitment to excellence in sharing 5 vintages of his Silver Oak & Twomey Cellars. The April 11th event features America’s First Growth Opus One. Then a true Napa Valley signature Cakebread Cellars featuring good friend Dennis Cakebread and much more.
I am very excited for the third year of the Berkeley Wine Festival and proud to host the only Berkeley-specific food and wine event. Don’t Cook, Make Reservations!
www.berkeleywinefestival.com
