5/15/2013 - St. Helena, CA--More than 40 of Napa Valley's acclaimed restaurants and purveyors, nine Top Chefs from around the country and Joseph Lenn of Blackberry Farm will create foods that speak of the terroir of Napa Valley and complement its wines during the Napa Valley Vintners' Auction Napa Valley May 30-June 2, 2013.
From finger food for 2,000 to intimate vintner-hosted dinners for ten, Napa Valley wines and locally sourced foods are the muse for menus throughout the American Wine Classic's moving feast. Whether lamb pastured on valley hillsides, greens grown by local organic farmers or spring's first fruit just-picked from fields near vineyards, noted chefs from near and far will express their styles through ingredients grown from the same sun, soil and care as the Napa Valley wines with which they will be served.
"With the bounty of wonderful local ingredients at our fingertips here in the Napa Valley, Auction guests will undoubtedly be delighted by the many and varied dishes presented throughout the weekend," notes Annette Shafer, this year's culinary chair.
At vintner-hosted dinners on Thursday and Friday evenings, guests will find themselves savoring flavors as diverse as the wines: from 40 years of library wines served with a slow-roasted pig for a family-style barbecue, to a meal of many small, well-crafted courses by one of the country's most esteemed chefs, to world-famous Cabernet Sauvignons cozying up to wood-fired pizzas and ahi burgers.
Friday's Napa Valley Barrel Auction at Raymond Vineyards will showcase more than three dozen of Napa Valley's acclaimed restaurants and purveyors, with casual finger foods to treats from some of the valley's most hard-to-get-into restaurants.
On the sweep of green lawn at Meadowood Napa Valley for Saturday's Live Auction Celebration, two of this year's James Beard Award-winning Best Regional Chefs announced just last week will combine their talents: Stephanie Izard of Chicago's Girl & the Goat will be one of nine Top Chefs preparing lunch and Joseph Lenn of Tennessee's Blackberry Farm will bring his southern take on Northern California's bounty and Napa Valley wines to an after-auction dinner. The renowned culinary team at Meadowood will bring it all together.
The world's most celebrated charity wine auction will bid adieu to its 2013 guests at an Auction Farewell brunch on Sunday, June 2, featuring a range of locally-sourced seasonal produce, artisanal cheese and house-cured charcuterie.
About Auction Napa Valley
Auction Napa Valley, the Napa Valley Vintners' annual community fundraiser is the most celebrated charity wine auction in the world, donating more than $110 million to health, youth and affordable housing non-profit programs. Founded in 1981, under the vision of Robert and Margrit Mondavi and other vintner leaders, this quintessential showcase of Napa Valley's best wine, food and outstanding hospitality has grown to be a four-day gathering held each year the first weekend in June. Learn more at auctionnapavalley.org
About the Napa Valley Vintners
The Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) is the non-profit trade association responsible for promoting and protecting the Napa Valley appellation as the premier winegrowing region. From seven founding members in 1944, today the association represents more than 450 Napa Valley wineries and collectively is a leader in the world-wide wine industry. To learn more about our region and its legendary American wines, visit napavintners.com
View a selection of summer picnic recipes from Auction Napa Valley 2013
Contact: Cate Conniff Communications Manager 707.968.4229 cconniff@napavintners.com
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