More and more wineries are using food to take the tasting experience to the next level.
Swirling, sniffing and sipping just don’t cut it anymore. First there were tasting rooms, then tours were added, and then “reserve” tastings featuring older vintages or limited-release wines became widely available. As more and more guests come to Wine Country looking for memorable and unique experiences, many wineries, especially in Sonoma County, are thinking beyond the glass and adding wine and food pairings as a major focus.
While many Napa wineries seem to be focusing on their visual environment to take the tasting experience to the next level—with grand buildings, sweeping views, beautiful gardens and amazing art—Sonoma wineries are stepping up their experiences too, many with the addition of a deceptively simple accessory: a plate.
Pairing is the new tasting
J Vineyards & Winery in Healdsburg has always been at the front of this trend. At a time when most wineries had a chef who cooked for the owner, VIPs and press guests, J used its chef to cook for everyone who came through the door. Owner Judy Jordan wanted every visitor who tasted her wines to experience them with food—and so the “flights and bites” program was born. At J, food has always been served right alongside the wines. The program has been wildly successful, and currently attracts almost 60,000 guests each year. The first pairings were served at the tasting bar, no reservations necessary, as J’s signature sparkling was paired with an assortment of hors d’oeuvres.
Originally, the motivation for this program came specifically from the fact that J specialized in bubbly. Jordan wanted her guests to see how well sparkling wine paired with food, and to realize that it had a place at the table beyond holidays and special occasions. As the winery has continued to grow, still wines (mostly Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris) have become a major part of its production, and the pairing program has evolved as well.
Kevin Burton, director of hospitality and retail operations at J, has been with the winery for seven years. Four years ago, he oversaw the opening of the Bubble Room. Tastings in the Bubble Room are seated experiences, with servers, in a private lounge area. It’s open Friday through Monday and usually features a red flight (mostly Pinot Noir), and a white and/or sparkling flight depending upon which wines are on release at the time. Bubble Room flights range from $45 to $55; reservations aren’t required but are reccommended for groups.
The J signature flight at the regular tasting bar includes pairings like a slice of parmesan and mortadella omelet paired with Brut Rosé, or Cowgirl Creamery St. Pat’s cheese with white truffle honey, fig and almond cake paired with Chardonnay. The offerings in the Bubble Room are even more luxurious, with such pairings as a duck croquette with Sonoma berry reduction served with Nicole’s Vineyard Pinot Noir or a piece of grilled Kobe beef with heirloom tomatoes and Humboldt Fog chevre served with the Robert Thomas Pinot Noir. Also available is the “indulgence flight,” a selection of sparkling wines and vintage releases paired with Tsar Nicoulai caviars. The menu changes often, sometimes even daily, as new wines are released or become sold-out and certain produce comes in or out of season.
Burton acknowledges that offering all of these tasting options requires a huge investment of time, energy and resources (especially for J’s executive chef, Mark Caldwell), but he believes the pairings have been the key to the J experience. “I think the food disarms people and makes them relax a little. Then they’re more receptive to what we’re trying to show them about our wines.”
Burton says the pairings haven’t only attracted visitors, but have also increased sales of wine and club memberships by slowing down the visitor experience and opening the opportunity for a dialog with tasting room staff. Since J has been able to create a program that works on so many levels, expanding the tastings even further has always seemed the natural next step for Burton.
“Beyond the fact that we offer wine and food pairings for all our guests, we also offer different ways to experience tastings—standing at the tasting bar or seated in the Bubble Room or outside, as well as so many different price levels—which is very unusual in a winery setting,” says Burton. In addition to the J signature flight and the Bubble Room, if the weather is nice, guests can enjoy their wine al fresco on the patio. The J terrace flight is a selection of wines paired with cheese and charcuterie. On a busy Saturday or Sunday, J welcomes between 200 and 300 guests a day. Typically, around 40 to 60 guests choose the Bubble Room or terrace tastings. Burton, his team and Chef Mark Caldwell certainly seem to have a full plate with their constant stream of visitors. But guess what…they’re not done yet.
The Essence of J
“J has kind of been in the forefront of wine and food pairing experiences, and we just want to stay ahead of the pack. More wineries are doing food and wine pairings, and we thought it was important to distinguish ourselves with a new level,” says Burton. Burton and Caldwell spent four months developing the Essence tasting. This new program debuted this fall, and reservations are definitely required, since the experience lasts several hours. Burton says it was developed because of his customers’ growing level of sophistication.
“People come to us with an increasing level of experience and expectation, and the Essence tasting was our way to show this group what a wine and food pairing can be like.” Of course, all this delicious wine and food, along with excellent service, comes at a price—and J’s taking that to a new level as well: The Essence tasting costs $200.
When you compare it to the cost of tasting at other wineries, which is sometimes free and averages between $10 and $20, the price of the Essence tasting seems absolutely stratospheric. But it’s really a tasting in name only. The experience is more like a meal at a gourmet restaurant, a private tour and a wine education class all rolled into one. The seven-course menu includes pairings like a Kumamoto oyster topped with Osetra caviar paired with J Vintage Brut or a summer artichoke bisque paired with the J Pinot Gris (one of Burton’s favorites). “Mark is kind of showing off a little here with the artichoke—an ingredient that’s traditionally difficult to pair with wine. I think he does a nice job adding some citrus elements that are really present in the wine, and really bringing it together in a beautiful way,” says Burton. The tasting also includes a visit to one of the vineyards to taste the wines at their source, tasting a barrel sample and a sneak peak at a wine that’s still aging in the barrel. Then it’s back to the Bubble Room for more pairings, maybe a caramelized day boat scallop with an orange saffron reduction paired with a Chardonnay, or a porcini mushroom-crusted noisette of lamb paired with a Nicole’s Vineyard Pinot Noir. The sixth course is a selection of artisan cheeses and then, of course, dessert.
Dessert might not be a strongpoint for many winery chefs, who may be used to cooking to pair with big reds or rich, oaky whites, but Caldwell has the crisp and toasty J Vintage Brut to showcase with his final dish, which might be an unusual offering like pistachio ice cream with extra virgin olive oil and fleur de sel. At the end of the tasting, guests are presented with a gift, a little something to take home and uncork whenever they want to relive a small part of their experience.
Kendall-Jackson’s take
While the pairings at J are about a luxurious experience, the ones at Kendall-Jackson are rooted (almost literally) in the concept of nature and seasonality. Owner Jess Jackson seems absolutely enamored with every little thing that pops its head out of the Sonoma soil—from grapevines and tomatoes to herbs and exotic fruits. The Kendall-Jackson tasting room, called the wine center, sits in the middle of a five-acre garden and demonstration vineyard. It also has four chefs.
In the middle of the tasting room, a few discreet, high tables sit with signs offering a $25 wine and food pairing. The tables are so discreet, they’re easy to miss. Your attention can easily get drawn to the main tasting bar, or to one of the merchandise displays. But if you decide to take a seat, you get to experience the winery on a totally different, delicious and endearing level. Endearing might, at first, seem like an unusual description, but at this winery (with a reputation for making a lot of wine and for being a good bit larger and more corporate that many of its neighbors), seeing how excited everyone gets over a lowly carrot or stalk of new asparagus reminds you that wine is an agricultural product at its heart—despite everything else we attach to it.
The wine and food pairing has been available at Kendall-Jackson for a little more than two years. If you order it, a chef, not a member of the tasting room staff, will serve you. Chef Matthew Lowe loves the interaction with visitors and says it appeals to every guest, no matter their level of wine knowledge. “We have people that run the gamut. Some know a lot about food and wine pairing and some people don’t know anything. But they all want to learn something new.” Lowe says even with more reserved guests, it doesn’t take long for the food and wine to break the ice and start an interaction. “When they first sit down and you ask if they have any questions, they usually say ‘no.’ But after they’ve tried some of the pairings, they start to say, ‘Boy, I really noticed how the wine changed this,’ and ‘I really like how this wine goes with that.’”
The pairings include dishes like a carrot and turmeric panna cotta topped with caviar, served with the Highland Estates Camelot Highlands Chardonnay, or gummy beets with balsamic vinegar and truffle salt served with Highland Estates Hawkeye Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. (If you’re unfamiliar with the Highland Estates wines, that’s because they are very limited production releases available almost exclusively at the winery). A “pincho,” or skewer, of Kalamata olives, poached figs, black pepper salami and Vella dry jack cheese, also paired with Cabernet, seems to have a regular spot on the menu. The combination of sweet, salty and spicy flavors with the rich texture of the cheese highlights the wine’s complexity.
Head Chef Justin Wangler has been at Kendall-Jackson for four years and has extensive experience in food and wine pairing. His previous positions were at Syrah restaurant in Santa Rosa and at Chateau Souverain winery in Alexander Valley. Wangler says working at Kendall-Jackson “is pretty amazing,” adding, “we get to show our stuff a lot.” He also uses the word “spoiled” a lot when talking about the five-acre garden at the wine center and the additional five acres in Geyserville that he has at his disposal. “Not only are we working back from the wine, we’re also working back from the garden. We start with the wine and then take a spin through the garden and see what we have in season,” says Wangler. Of all the wines Kendall-Jackson produces, he says the signature Chardonnay is his favorite to work with. “It’s the most popular Chardonnay in the country—and for a reason. It’s really good with food, it’s easy-drinking, well balanced and has good acidity, so it goes really nicely with a lot of different foods.”
Even if you never set foot in the wine center, or taste the pairings, Kendall-Jackson’s commitment to food and wine pairing is obvious with just a walk through the garden. There are very few flowers there. Instead, fruits and vegetables cover the area in a profusion of green. At first glance, the garden is so green it seems almost boring. But if you take a closer look, you realize the tree is a walnut or pear tree and that the leaves covering the ground are lettuce or they’re hiding little purple eggplants. And of course we can’t forget the tomatoes that grow with such abundance that they inspired the winery’s signature heirloom tomato festival that takes place each September.
A taste of Buena Vista
Education is a part of the mix in any food and wine pairing program. And while Kendall-Jackson seeks to teach guests about its wines through focusing on Sonoma’s bounty, Buena Vista, one of the latest wineries to offer food and wine pairings, has taken a decidedly more back-to-basics (or scientific) approach.
Joe Avila, manager of the tasting room facility and hospitality at Buena Vista, launched the wine and food pairing last spring. He says a commitment to education is what sets the winery’s program apart. “It’s instructional more than just a good time. There’s a lot of food and wine pairing out there, but what we wanted to do was make it so people felt a little more knowledgeable when they left.”
Avila says the goal of the program is to instill the basics of food and wine pairing, so visitors can feel more confident pairing things at a restaurant or even at home. “We explain why something works, or doesn’t work instead of just giving them the food. We wanted to do that because nobody else was. At other wineries, people have a great experience, but they don’t learn.”
Of course this kind of studying is almost the most enjoyable anyone could imagine, which is why “students” are lining up to pay $20 for a class. The pairing is still new, but it’s common to have 30 or more guests try it on a single day. And since Buena Vista welcomes an average of 3,500 visitors each month, there’s big potential for the program to grow. “If we can get even a small percentage of the people who come in to do the pairing, that’s still a lot,” Avila admits. Buena Vista has marketed the program well to event planners and tour operators, so large groups are not uncommon (and they’re welcome, as long as they make reservations).
Because education is a major focus at the winery, it’s important that the Buena Vista staff are experts, which is why two members of the tasting room staff will be sponsored to study for certification from the Court of Master Sommeliers. Avila says it’s all in an effort to differentiate the 150-year-old winery, and that even with Buena Vista’s long history and great success, innovation is always necessary. “There’s so much going on in the wine industry, you have to do something to stay ahead of the pack.”
Whether it’s rare and expensive ingredients and luxurious service, a focus on seasonality and just-picked produce, or learning a delicious lesson, as the competition for visitors heats up, frying pans and ovens all over Wine Country are heating up, too. So now, when you raise your glass and say, “Cheers!” don’t forget to add, “Bon appétit!”
