Autumn Food and Wine

Autumn Food and Wine

Every now and then, life conspires for a moment of near perfection. Here in Truckee- Tahoe, we define perfection as blue skies, fabulous weather, fine wine, amazing creations by renowned chefs and the first traces of autumn. The Lake Tahoe Autumn Food and Wine Festival is recognized as the premier food, wine, brew and spirits festival in Northern California and the Sierra Nevada. The 29th Annual Lake Tahoe Autumn Food & Wine Festival Tahoe Food and Wine Festival Week August 31-September 7, 2014 A week-long celebration of winemaker dinners, food and wine pairing dinners, wine walks, grape stomp, annual fundraisers, restaurant specials, luncheon, and special speaker events. Lake Tahoe Autumn Food & Wine Festival Events at Northstar September 5-7, 2014. This is one of our favorites at Elder Group. Not one to be missed!!!

Here is the schedule of events:

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 5, 2014

9/5 – 4pm to 5pm
Art of the Cocktail
The Living Room, The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe
$40
Participants will journey back to pre-prohibition days when cocktails were the highlight and beer, wine and other beverages were not in fashion. This entertaining, educational experience will take place in the Living Room at The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe, and will feature three bourbon, whiskey, vodka and gin cocktails paired with appetizers. Advance purchase of tickets is required. Walk-ins will be accepted on a space availability basis.

9/5 – 4pm to 6pm
North Tahoe Arts Plein Air Artists Reception & Wine Tasting
Petra, Village at Northstar
$40
Join us for a Gala Reception & Fundraising Event benefiting North Tahoe Arts hosted by Petra. The “Meet the Artist” Reception will take place September 5, 2014 from 4-6pm at Petra Wine Bar located in the Northstar Village.  This event will host wine with light fare. A special winemaker will be at Petra.  Event judges will be placing “Best of Show”, 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners.  Competition artwork will be available for early sale.  A silent auction of artist donated pieces will be on display as well with proceeds supporting North Tahoe Arts.

9/5 ~ 6pm to 9pm 

Farm to Tahoe Dinner 
Zephyr Lodge
Northstar California Mountain

$80
Featuring fresh, sustainable and locally-sourced produce, Northstar California’s Chef Steve Anderson skillfully prepares a delicious dining experience sure to please the palate. Escape on a gondola ride to the beautiful Zephyr Lodge for this multi-course plated dinner enjoyed with beer, wine and light beverages complemented by live music. Limited seating is available.  Advance ticket purchase required.

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2014

9/6 ~ 11am to 5pm

Gourmet Marketplace Vendor Fair
Village at Northstar
FREE 
Sample some of the finest local and regional gourmet goodies at our open-air marketplace in the Village. Vendors display the best kitchen gadgets, fine linens and clothing, exquisite handmade jewelry, fine art, photography, spa products and much more.

9/6  – 11am to 5pm
North Tahoe Arts Plein Air Painting Display, Plein Air Demonstrations and Art Sale
Village at Northstar
FREE
An invited jury of artists will spend three days in the North Lake Tahoe region creating extraordinary Plein Air paintings the week prior to the festival.  On Saturday and Sunday, their creations will be on display and available for purchase in the Village.  A portion of the proceeds will support North Lake Tahoe Arts, a non-profit organization whose mission has been promoting and supporting the arts in the Truckee-Tahoe communities for 24 years.  There will also be live painting demonstrations and guests will have the opportunity to vote for the “People’s Choice” Award.

9/6 ~ 11am to 12:15pm

Hands-On Mozzarella Cheese Making
with Chef Lara Ritchie of Nothing to It Culinary Center, Reno

Overlook Pavilion, Village at Northstar
$25
To continue our love affair with all things cheese, Chef Lara will teach 25 guests how to make fresh Mozzarella cheese. The class is appropriate for children as young as 9-years-old. Chef Lara creates an atmosphere that is friendly, approachable, educational and delicious! You’ll also get to taste your masterpiece once you’re done.  Advanced ticket purchase is recommended.  Day-of tickets will be on a space availability basis.  

9/6 ~ 11am to 12pm
Girl Farm Seminar
Tavern 6330’, Village at Northstar
FREE
Representatives from Northern Nevada-based GirlFarm invites guests to learn about sustainable farming, the benefits of fresh-sourced ingredients, and techniques that can be used anywhere – from farm to home.
Access is complimentary.    

9/6 ~ 11am to 1:30pm

Take a Hike!
Northstar Mountain
$40

Trail food is taken to new heights on this trailside tasting and guided hike through the Tahoe National Forest. A professional trail guide explores the breathtaking wilderness and identifies the native flora and fauna. Trailside tasting stations will be set along the route and will be stocked with craft beer and light snacks. All ability levels are encouraged to participate.  Advanced ticket purchase is required.  Walk-ins will be accepted on a space availability basis.

9/6 ~ 12pm to 4pm

Village Wine and Brew Walk
Village at Northstar

$25

Join us for the Village Wine and Brew Walk Saturday to get your taste buds ready for the Sunday Grand Tasting. Leisurely taste, shop and visit with friends at this casual afternoon soiree. Wines featured in past years ranged from Napa, Sonoma, Eldorado, Lodi, Suisun Valley, the Foothills, Nevada City, Central Coast and beyond. Beer aficionados can look forward to fresh, cold craft beers from Stella, Goose Island, Kona Brewery and more. Souvenir tasting glass is included. Must be 21-years-old to participate.

9/6 ~ 12pm to 4pm

Kid’s Zone 
Overlook Deck
Village at Northstar
FREE and TICKETED

Complimentary face painting, balloon sculptures, arts & crafts, and a play area are located on the Overlook Deck for our younger guests. Additional ticketed activities include the Tahoe Apex Adventure bungee trampoline and ropes challenge, gem panning, and miniature golf.

9/6 ~ 12pm to 2pm

Petra Winemaker Luncheon with FARM Napa Valley, produced by John Anthony Truchard
Petra, Village at Northstar

Petra Owner and Wine Connoisseur Kali Kopley and FARM Napa Valley, produced by John Anthony Truchard, will host a delicious multicourse luncheon featuring award winning wines. Let the experts guide you through the delightful complexities and tastes of food and wine pairings. Menu details and wine selections to come. Limited seating is available. Must be 21+ to participate in this event.

9/6 ~ 12pm to 4pm

Pedals & Pinots
Northstar to Downtown Truckee

$55

Jump into your Lycra and grab your road bike! Our second annual Pedals and Pinots ride is underway. This heart-healthy adventure combines a tasting room tour with a scenic ride through the Martis Valley. The tour starts in The Village at Northstar and winds through historic Truckee for a delightful tasting of Pinots at The Pour House and Uncorked Wine Bar. The tour then heads to the welcoming setting of PJ’s Bar & Grill at Gray’s Crossing for the final stop which will include light appetizers, one more wine tasting and an outdoor reprieve. Shuttle rides will transport participants back to Northstar for the evening’s festivities.

9/6 – 12:15pm to 1:15pm
Cooking Demonstration with Chef Jason Burton of Stella Restaurant at the Cedar House Sport Hotel
Village Stage, Village at Northstar

9/6 ~ 1pm to 2:15pm
Beer and Artisan Cheese Pairing
with Nyna Weatherson of Restaurant Trokay
Tavern 6330’, Village at Northstar

Advance ticket purchase is required. $35
Enjoy craft beers paired with artisan cheeses in The Village at Northstar’s Tavern 6330’, presented by Nyna Weatherson of Historic Downtown Truckee’s Restaurant Trokay. Weatherson is a recognized cheese expert and former lead cheesemonger at the renowned Murray’s Cheese in New York City.  In addition to artfully pairing unique brews with complementing cheeses, Weatherson will guide participants through the technique of creating a cheeseboard selection which properly progresses through the palate.

9/6 ~ 1:15pm to 2:15pm

Marinating and Brining Demonstration
with Chef Jason Gronlund, Senior VP of Culinary, Smokeybones Bar and Fire Grill, Florida
Overlook Pavilion, Village at Northstar
FREE

Chef Jason returns for one of the festival’s most highly-anticipated events, year after year. An accomplished grill master who respects the power of the open flame, Chef Jason keeps it simple, creating mouthwatering recipes. He knows medium-rare isn’t the only way to cook a steak, but believes it usually should be, and believes pork should be slow-smoked and pulled often. One thing he makes clear: marinating and bringing is not to be taken lightly. His contagiously high energy will have you rocking in your seat. Learn about the difference between brining and marinating while adding amazing flavor to dishes.

9/6 – 2pm to 4pm
Winemaker for a Day
The Pines Ballroom, The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe
$80
In this seminar, participants ages 21+ will learn the intricacies of blending various wines as they create their own bottle of wine to take home and enjoy. Hosted by seasoned wine expert, Phil McKenney, the “Winemaker for a Day” seminar offers guests the opportunity to taste single-varietal wines such as cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc before blending in a classroom-style format.

Participants experiment with different proportions of varietals, discuss the characteristics of each grape, and talk about what each varietal brings to the blend before bottling, corking and labeling their own individual wine to take home. Advance purchase of tickets is required.

9/6 ~ 2:15pm to 3:15pm

15 Minute Meals Cooking Demonstration
with Chef Lara Ritchie
Nothing to It Culinary Center, Reno
Village Stage, Village at Northstar
FREE

9/6 – 3pm to 4:30pm
Why You Like What You Like with Tim Hanni
Petra, Village at Northstar
$40
Get ready for a rollicking, myth-busting, wine and food tasting seminar and book signing. Discover the source of your personal passions and preferences!  Years of high-level research are distilled down into a simple set of principles. Learn how to consistently find the wines you will love the most and how to get the most pleasure from wine on your terms. This seminar provides a unique context for the enjoyment of wine, appropriate for every level of interest and expertise.

Eat, drink and learn:
•    Learn how your unique Taste Sensitivity Quotient affects the styles of wines we love the most.
•    Discover how the brain processes, stores and recalls sensations to create our individual wine preferences – sounds technical but this is a guaranteed blast!
•    Understand why many experts can’t agree on wine quality and appropriate wine and food matches!
•    Identify who you should turn to for wine recommendations, rating and reviews that meet your standards.
•    Experience interactions between wine with food and learn flavor balancing techniques that will ensure the wine you love tastes great with the food you choose.

9/6 ~ 4:30pm to 6pm

Blazing Pans Mountain Chef Cook Off ©
Champion Mark Estee Chef and Owner of Campo vs.
Wyatt Dufresne, Executive Chef of PlumpJack Cafe
Emcee: Steve Schroede
$15

2013 Blazing Pans Champion Chef Mark Estee of Campo Restaurant in Reno faces off with the talented and wildly popular Chef Wyatt Dufresne of PlumpJack Cafe. These two fearless competitors will prepare 4-courses of restaurant-quality dishes in the hour-long battle featuring a secret ingredient that is revealed at the very last second. Last year, Mark took the crown by dazzling the judges with his delicious and inventive uses of lamb. The event features a classic handcrafted Charbay Cocktail shaken by Marko Karakasevic, 13th generation Master Distiller from Charbay Artisan Winery & Distillery, St. Helena, Calif. The winner of Blazing Pans receives an award and forever bragging rights. Costumes, noisemakers, and air horns are encouraged. Teams should rally to cheer on their favorite chef. This must-see signature event will be emceed by our special guest, Steve Schroeder, TV personality….

9/6 ~ 6:15pm to 8:45pm
Charbay 16th Annual Party – Spirits Tasting and Caviar 101,
Marko Karakasevic,  Charbay Distillery & Winery,
Chef Jason Gronlund,  Vice-President of Culinary,  Smokey Bones,  FL,
Jeffrey Senna,  Tsar Nicoulai Caviar,  San Francisco
Smokeybones Bar and Fire Grill Tavern 6330’,
Village at Northstar

$75

We are thrilled to welcome back the immensely popular 13th generation Master Distiller, Marko Karakasevic of Charbay Distillery and Winery, St. Helena,  CA,  to this year’s Festival. Karakasevic will showcase his hand crafted Charbay Vodkas (California) and Tequila Tapatio (Mexico) in an inspired tasting featuring the luxe caviars and natural flavored roes from Tsar Nicoulai Caviar Company. Chef Jason Gronlund works his culinary magic with perfectly orchestrated hors d’oeuvres and small bites to pair with the spirits and cocktails. The seminar will start with Caviar 101 on how to “prime your palate” for tasting clear vodka and caviar.

9/6 – 6:30pm to 9pm
Tahoe Long Table Harvest Dinner
Manzanita Terrace, The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe
$85
Prepared by The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe’s Executive Chef Stanley Miller, the Tahoe Long Table Harvest Dinner will feature a family-style dinner presentation of a special harvest menu that incorporates the freshest, locally sourced, sustainable ingredients. This farm-to-table dinner will seat guests together at a long table on the Fireside Terrace to enjoy six courses with wine pairings al fresco amongst a mountainside setting with views overlooking Northstar California.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2014

9/7 ~ 1pm to 4pm

Sunday Culinary Competition and Grand Tasting 

Village at Northstar and Overlook Pavilion 

$75 Advance / $95
Day Of
 The most anticipated food, wine, spirits and brew event of the year!  An al fresco afternoon tasting features more than 25 top chefs in the region paired with 25 premium wines, sprits and brews in a formally judged food and wine pairing competition.  Each chef’s dish is paired with a varietal and vintage from the winery or brewery of their choice. It’s a culinary throw-down and the chefs compete for the Best Marriage of Food and Wine/Beverage and Best Food categories and the coveted People’s Choice Awards. The offerings are judged by a panel of food and wine industry experts, then the pairings are opened for ticketholders to enjoy.  

Your ticket also allows you to sample from additional wineries pouring their finest varietals and vintages. In 2012, more than 90 wines were poured at this event.  Great weather, spectacular food and fine wines, craft beers, artisan spirits and live music with good friends – all in the mountain setting of Lake Tahoe in The Village at Northstar.

9/7 ~ 11am to 4pm

Gourmet Marketplace Vendor Fair
Village at Northstar
FREE
Sample some of the finest local and regional gourmet goodies at our open-air marketplace in The Village. Vendors display the best kitchen gadgets, fine linens and clothing, exquisite handmade jewelry, fine art, photography, spa products and much more.

9/7  – 11am to 5pm
North Tahoe Arts Plein Air Painting Display, Plein Air Demonstrations and Art Sale
Village at Northstar
FREE
An invited jury of artists will spend three days in the North Lake Tahoe region creating extraordinary Plein Air paintings the week prior to the festival.  On Saturday and Sunday, their creations will be on display and available for purchase in the Village.  A portion of the proceeds will support North Lake Tahoe Arts, a non-profit organization whose mission has been promoting and supporting the arts in the Truckee-Tahoe communities for 24 years.  There will also be live painting demonstrations and guests will have the opportunity to vote for the “People’s Choice” Award.

9/7  – 11am
Petra Bubbles Tasting Flight
$12.00

Autumn might be around the corner, but still plenty of summer left to be had! Get out an enjoy the seasons here in Tahoe and while you are here, contact Alison Elder, Elder Group Tahoe Real Estate, proudly affiliated with Chase International, and discuss the fantastic real estate opportunities available today! Contact Alison Elder at info@eldergrouptahoe.com or by phone, 530.582.8103. Visit our site for Truckee-Tahoe properties for sale at www.ElderGroupTahoeRealEstate.com.  We’d love to hear from you!