November 12—14, 2010
Immerse yourself in all things wine at November's Great Wine Escape Weekend, held Friday, November 12th through Sunday, November 14th. The weekend is packed with seminars, cooking classes, tasting events, tours, open houses, and, of course, wine-oriented dinners. The hardest part of the Great Wine Escape Weekend is deciding which events to attend!
Arrive before 10 a.m. on Friday for a wine seminar on the secrets of creating a dish that will best enhance your favorite wine at the beautiful seaside hotel Intercontinental: The Clement Monterey.
The session wraps up with an exquisite four-course-meal-cum-food-preparation-demonstration from experienced chefs. All courses will, of course, be paired with Monterey County wines selected to perfectly match the food at hand.
Purchase your Coastal Kitchen Seminars tickets at the official website. Tickets to the Coastal Kitchen Seminar are also included as part of the $799 Monterey Wine Country, Wine & Food Degree Complete Weekend Package for two.
Join the Estancia Winery's Director of Winemaking, Scott Kelley, for a wine tasting followed by dinner at the Ocean's Edge Wing of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Tour and Dinner begins at 7:00 p.m. with a wine tasting of various Estancia selections that are paired with complementary hors d'oeuvres to enjoy while experiencing the underwater activity of the Pacific coastal wetlands. Dinner, prepared by Monterey Bay Aquarium Executive Chef, David Anderson, follows with an underwater view of the Aquarium's rendition of a Kelp forest. Tickets are available for purchase at the official website for $125.
Friday night has an additional 10 winemaker dinners to choose from! Monterey County winemakers team up with the area's finest chefs to provide diners with perfectly wedded food and wine selections from 40 wineries, while winemakers and winery owners tell the stories behind the wines. Tickets for these events, hosted throughout the Peninsula, are available for purchase at the official site for $95 per person. Tickets for both of Friday's dinner events are also available as part of the two weekend escape packages available for purchase on the official website.
If you don't get enough on Friday, don't worry; there are eight more winemaker dinners to choose from on Saturday night!
Relax on Saturday morning and afternoon with wine tours of Carmel or Salinas Valley. Just hop on the luxuriously appointed mini coach and enjoy as it takes you from winery to winery. A local wine expert will provide you with fascinating information about the specific wineries and the region. Every stop will have tasty food, enjoyable entertainment and, naturally, great wine. Tickets for the hosted Carmel Wine Tasting Trail and the Salinas Valley Wine Tasting are available for purchase at the official website for $65. Tickets for either of the hosted tours are available as part of the $425 discounted Signature Great Wine Escape Package for two.
If you prefer an independent experience, you can opt for a self-guided tour of the wineries of Carmel or Salinas Valley. Travel from one spot to another at your own pace while you enjoy the great food, great music and delectable wines available at each tasting room. Self guided tour tickets are available for $25 per person.
Spend Saturday learning the finer points of wine growing and wine production at Estancia Winery and Chalone Vineyard. Begin your experience at Estancia Winery to learn how to farm a vineyard followed by visiting a cellar to see the beginning of the fermentation process. Continue to Chalone Vineyard to learn the specifics of producing a fine Chardonnay. Wind up your visit with a wine tasting in the legendary Chalone caves. Tickets for the Estancia and Chalone Vineyard Educational Tour Experience are available from the official website for $85. Lunch and transportation are included.
Spend Saturday as a winemaker at Paraiso Vineyards by participating in a Wine Blending Seminar hosted by David Fleming, the Paraiso Vineyards' winemaker. Experiment with multiple wine varietals and come up with your own winning blend to share with your friends at home. Tickets for the Paraiso Vineyards Winemaker for a Day Experience, including lunch and transportation, are $85 at the official website. Tickets for both educational tour experiences are available as part of the discounted $799 Monterey Wine Country, Wine & Food Degree Package for two.
The crown jewel of The Great Wine Escape Weekend is the Wine Enthusiast's Signature Dinner. You'll rub elbows with the founding fathers of Monterey County wine, including Jerry Lohr of J. Lohr Vineyards and Wines, Al Scheid of Scheid Vineyards, Rich Smith of Paraiso Vineyards, and more. This outstanding five-course meal at the Intercontinental: The Clement Hotel Monterey features selections from boutique wineries as well as dishes from celebrity chefs. Tickets for Saturday's Wine Enthusiast Dinner are available for $150 from the official website and as part of the discounted $799 Monterey Wine Country, Wine & Food Degree Package for two.
Enjoy Winemaker Dinners at fine dining locales in Carmel and Monterey. Tickets for these events are available from the official website for $95 and are also included as part of the $425 discounted Signature Great Wine Escape Package for two.
On Sunday, "The Grand Finale" wraps up the weekend's events with three and a half hours of wine tasting and great food at Intercontinental: The Clement Hotel Monterey. Experience barrel samples and reserve wines from Monterey County's finest wineries. Wines will be accompanied by perfectly paired food samplings from local restaurants. You will also be treated to local celebrity and chef cooking demonstrations. Tickets to the Grand Finale are available from the official website for $90 per person and as part of both weekend escape packages.
Buy tickets to each Great Wine Escape Weekend event separately, or choose from a selection of packages, at the official Great Wine Escape Weekend website. All participants in the Great Wine Escape Weekend events must be at least 21 years of age.
Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau P.O. Box 1770, Monterey, CA 93942 1-877-MONTEREY info@mccvb.org
In partnership with Monterey County and the cities of Carmel-by-the-Sea, Del Rey Oaks, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Salinas,
Sand City, Seaside, Soledad, Pebble Beach, Moss Landing, Carmel Valley, Big Sur, and Salinas Valley.
© Copyright 2009 Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau
