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GUE S T EDIT ORIAL Viewpoint We welcome commentaries from readers on issues of current interest in the wine industry. Send your topic idea to edit@winesandvines.com, and we'll contact you. Making the Most of Winemaker Dinners By Deborah Grossman France, dinner at Château Lafite Rothschild progressed into a most memorable evening. Granted, Baron Eric de Rothschild A was not present—nor was the technical director, whom we met earlier for a ca- sual lunch. But the elements of an ideal winemaker dinner came into focus, and it wasn't all about the 1990 vintage. Over the years, I've traveled hours by car or train only to meet a winery host who would rather be taking barrel sam- ples. By himself. At others, waitstaff hustle for tips and neglect private dining, or the outer seats at a humongous table mitigate any interaction with the superstar vintner. At Château Lafite, we were escorted to the back lawn for Champagne and canapés. In the candle-lit dining room, the blue jack- et-clad butlers treated us like royalty, filling water glasses at the slightest empty and pac- ing the three courses. Our hosts, two senior marketing executives, manifested Gallic charm and industry knowledge. And they listened to our perspective about Bordeaux. There were also delicious surprises. I ex- pected to cut into a filet with sauce Borde- laise, but we were served turbot viennoise with "condiments." Translated, this was tur- bot and white beans in a rich lobster sauce with clams, basil, garlic and tomato con- fit—a hearty bite to pair with the lively 1990 Lafite and 2005 Caro, the Argentinean wine of Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite). I pondered the litany of dinners I've at- tended. What wines left an indelible mark? 66 Wines & Vines sePTeMBeR 201 1 s I eyed the elegantly dressed table and my glass of 1990 Château Lafite Rothschild, I felt like a guest at Buckingham Palace—only with better wine. A few months ago in Pauillac, Which winemakers became reliable sourc- es for articles? In Pauillac I realized that what differen- tiates winemaker dinners is balance. Like good wine, memorable dinners reveal a fresh style, a crisp beginning, hearty middle and a generous finish. The chateau staff's clockwork service, the menu's surprising twists, the pairings beyond the flagship wine and the flow of words all fell into place. If the whites are too warm, the cave too cold, the wine- maker too chatty, the frost around the pen settles in. The dinner concept makes sense: in- troduce a new facility, trot out the latest releases or winemaker, celebrate anniver- saries and achievements. Yet sometimes wineries display amnesia around execution. They forget that "dead- line" persists in journalists' vocabularies and that the invitation specified dinner, not a grand tasting with nary a cracker in sight. If the whites are too warm, the patio too buggy, the cave too cold, the winemak- er too chatty, the multi-courses exceed a count on one hand—and the risotto eaters finish before the duck entrées land at the table—the frost around the pen settles in. Producing 40 dinners annually around the country, publicist Katherine Jarvis knows the range of outcomes. The principal of Jarvis Communications, an L.A.-based agency for wine and lifestyle brands, notes: "We see suc- cess when the food lets the wine shine and there's compelling conversation. I seek restau- rants that have great service and great food, with service being the most important." Hear, hear, I say. Seeking historical context, I contacted Richard Arrowood. The owner of Amapola Creek Winery in Glen Ellen has hosted more than 700 dinners during his 46- year career. From Rodney Strong through Chateau St. Jean and Arrowood Winery un- der several owners, Arrowood says that not much has changed. "The dinners are time consuming, but they pay off." The sweet spot, he adds, were the 1970s through mid-1990s, when winemakers were treated like rock stars. With more Americans ordering wine today, top som- meliers are stars themselves. "As a new, relatively unknown winery, we still need to tell our story," Arrowood says. Since the rate of dinners continues into the Twitter era, I vote for shaking up the mix. After Bordeaux I read about the "Hop on the Bus" Portland event with Karl Wente of Livermore, Calif.-based Wente Family Estates. The leitmotif was a pro- gressive dinner: jump off the bus for take- out at epicurean food carts to pair with Tamás Estates Wines before the next stop. When contacted about the dinner's high notes, the musically inclined winemaker recalls the creative pairings, especially the strawberry and wildflower honey crêpes with Tamás Pinot Grigio. Wente adds, "When the bus passed by the house of a music-loving journalist, we grabbed two guitars and had a jam on wheels. This was the most unique dinner among the many I've had around the world." Far from the chateau, this sounded like all-American wine industry poetry. A re- laxed winemaker, a few surprises on a dou- ble-decker bus and an evening as the queen of cool with something to tweet about. Deborah Grossman is a Bay Area wine and food journalist, essayist and editor. She writes for publications such as the San Francisco Chronicle, Wine Enthusiast, National Culinary Review and Diablo Magazine.