Premier Lots for the 27th Annual Rare & Fine Wine Auction Announced!

After months of scouring the globe for rare, fine, and desirable wines, The 27th Annual Rare & Fine Wine Auction is nearly upon us, and we've got our hands on some really great lots this year that you won't want to miss.  Among them are large format bottles, collector's wine sets, lavish wine trips, and exclusive wine dinners.  Don't be the last to scout out the details on these premier lots!

Have we piqued your interest?  The night begins with a champagne reception in which all the lots are on display for your perusal.  Following, you'll be treated to a decadent array of salads, entrees and desserts on the buffet, presented by the Four Season's Executive Chef Elmar Prambs.  And we've only just begun!  Then the real fun begins with the boisterous and fast-paced live auction, showcasing nearly 100 auction lots.  Feeling lucky?  Give it a go at the silent auction tables where 50 lots featuring wine, gift cards, experiences and other goodies abound.  And the best part?  It's not too late to reserve your seats for this always fun evening!  Just visit our registration page to join in on the fun!

Beautiful Night at Big Reds & Bubbles

The 9th Annual Big Reds & Bubbles was a beautiful evening, filled with festive spirits! Selling out early this year, guests who purchased their tickets in time were treated to delicious tasty bites from over 20 Austin chefs and wine samples galore.

As guests entered the event, they were greeted by a glamourous Champagne girl, sponsored by LaMarca prosecco, encouraged to grab a glass of bubbly from her skirt. Throughout the evening, our host, Chef Brad Sorenson who was featured on season 6 of The Next Food Network star, provided light-hearted commentary.

The Dylan Jones trio provided background music and guests bid for unique items at the silent auction. One guest took home a bottle of 1955 port with their winning big!

Thank you to everyone that joined us for this wonderful evening and to our sponsors for helping us make it happen. Next year we'll celebrate our 10th Anniversary, so be sure to buy your tickets nice and early again.

Chef's Under Fire Finals

We were very excited about the opportunity to volunteer at Chefs Under Fire 2011 Finals, that occurred this past weekend at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center. Created by Diane Dixon of the Keeper Collection, this event has quickly become a foodie favorite in Austin. We welcomed guests to this great event, helped register them and sent them on their way into the pre-tasting. There, they could watch the chefs prepare dishes, try various wines, and sample some outstanding lobster bisque and pork belly created by Executive Chef Josh Watkins of The Carillon. Yum! 

Chefs had a limited time to prepare a dish including potatoes, beets, green onion, and Longhorn beef. Each chef introduced his dish to the celebrity judges, who included Chef David Bull, Chef Tyson Cole, and Chef Kent Rathbun. Also in attendance to talk about the wines was Devon Broglie, Master Sommelier and Global Buyer at Whole Foods Market.

Guests were seated in the large ballroom after the testing, and were presented with the three different dishes. The event was incredibly interactive as guests were able to vote for their Fan Favorite via Twitter, and appear on a live Twitter feed. The Judge’s pick was Chef Harold Wong, but Chef Daniel Valenzuela pleased our palettes with his dish, and won Fan Favorite. Between the cook-off, the delectable dishes, and various wines and cheeses, the event was fun for all!

The Wine & Food Foundation team were very excited to see the chef-off between Shawn Cirkiel of Parkside and Paul Peterson of Vivo Lake Creek, hosted by Top Chef judge Gail Simmons! Sponsored by Target on a parking lot at 4th and Congress streets, the event was a fun way to enjoy the weather and see some great cooking with fresh ingredients.

Chef Cirkiel cooked up a halibut with a carrot sauce that smelled fabulous, while Chef Peterson made pork accompanied by a guacamole with tomato and pineapple. With the help of an audience member, the chefs had 20 minutes to create their dishes. Meanwhile, Simmons talked about some of her foodie faves. In the end, Simmons appreciated Chef Peterson’s Tex-Mex flare, and announced him winner of the chef-off.

After the event, our Community Relations Director Becka Brown took a photo with Simmons and spoke about the Foundation. Hopefully we will be seeing her at an event soon! It was wonderful to watch both chefs compete, create incredible food, and we can’t wait to see more of these types of creations at Big Reds & Bubbles on November 17, 2011.

Written by Lauren Brandewie, Foundation Intern

Out and About? You Bet We Are!

Congrats to many of our Board Members, Partners and Foundation Members for being listed on Michael Barnes prestigious Out & About 500 list.
Food: David Garrido, Susan and Ed Auler, David Bull, Paula Biehler, Shawn Cirkiel, Quincy Erickson, Bryce Gilmore, Jennifer and Marshall Jones (Our Executive Director!!), Cameron Lockley, Rob Moshein, plus Deborah and Larry Peel (Our Chairman!).
Business: Eddie Safady, Wendy Casey Sooch and Nav Sooch
Interactive: David Wyatt
Media: Dave Shaw, George Elliman, Deborah Hamilton-Lynn,
Nightlife: Chad Auler, Becky and Damon Holditch, Sylvia and David Jabour, Kara and Matt Swinney
Style: Rachel Elsberry
Thank you to everyone for their continued support of The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas!

Tour de Vin Recap

Around the world in one night!

Food was plated, wine was being poured, and Japanese Taiko drummers were performing as guests arrived at the W Hotel on Thursday night for our internationally-inspired wine and food pairing event, Tour de Vin. Featuring 15 Austin restaurants and over 85 wines to taste, the night was sure to please… and that it did!

Guests sampled food inspired by many regions of the world including North America, South America, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Japan, and Australia, and were able to pair wines (or sakes!) with each tasty bite. But don’t forget the bubbly! A step out on to the second floor terrace on this comfortable summer night revealed champagnes and sparkling wines galore.

A few of the lucky event-goers were also able to sign up for sommelier tours on the terrace led by Gusto Tastings throughout the night. And of course, we couldn’t forget the cigars that were graciously passed out by Heroes & Legacies.

But that’s not all! Surprise entertainment throughout the night included salsa dancing by Dance International and belly dancing from Viviane Bressan. And for those who wanted a souvenir by which to remember their world tour, the silent auction offered dinners, jewelry, gift certificates and of course, wine. A great time was had by all!

Now it’s on to our holiday kickoff, Big Reds & Bubbles. Let the planning begin!



Bill Elsey Named Texas' Best Sommelier

We had an amazing time at TEXSOM 2011! Three jam packed days of registration, wine education and networking with the best in the wine business. Huge kuddos to James Tidwell MS, CWE, Sommelier at the Four Seasons Resort and Club in La Colinas and Drew Hendricks MS, CWE, Director of Beverage Education for Pappas Restaurants in Houston for leading this outstanding conference filled with a new media symposium and two days of wine seminars. Plus, did you know there was a competition going on as well? 20 individuals were competiting in a rigorous three-part wine examination involving service, blind tasting and theory with the winner, Bill Elsey of  Duchman Family Wines announced during Grand Tasting event on Monday evening. It was a fantastic conference and we can't wait for 2012!

TexSom Around the Corner!

We are gearing up for the 7th Annual Texas Sommelier Conference on August 13-15 at the Four Seasons Resort and Club in Las Colinas, Dallas. Be prepared for two full days of wine seminars led by the world's top experts, followed by a grand tasting of more than 150 world-class wines and small bites by Executive Chef Christof Syre.

Behind the scenes of the conference, the annual Texas' Best Sommelier competition will be taking place, with the winner announced at the Grand Tasting on Monday evening. Each year the winner of the competition is awarded scholarships for professional certification courses.

If you haven't registered for this one-of-a-kind conference be sure to do so soon - tickets are selling fast. http://www.texsom.com/

Susan Tran Named Winner of the 4th Annual Pastry Competition

Congratulations to Susan Tran of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Austin for taking home the top prize of $5,000 in the 4th Annual Pastry Competition. The two runners-up, Andrea Morgan and Lauren Ortiz took home $1,000 each. Choosing the winner was a tough decision for our three judges led by Chef Mark Paul of Wink Restaurant, Pat Sharpe of Texas Monthly Magazine and Chef Almar Alcocer of El Chile Restaurant as all three contestants showed off amazing skill and talent!  

New Lots Announced for the 26th Annual Rare & Fine Wine Auction!

The excitement is building as we ramp up to the 26th Annual Rare & Fine Wine Auction!  We're happy to announce some more exceptional items that will be up for auction at this always-outstanding event!

• “A Seat at The Table” - 16 of the rarest wines from 8 Auction Committee Members’ personal collections, Chef Mark Paul of Wink, and a beautiful Lady Bird Lake view. Only 8 seats will be on the auction block for this incredible wine experience.
• Chuck Wagner’s Caymus Special Selection has been the benchmark California cabernet for over 3 decades, and we have a Salmanazar (9 liters) of the 2008 Caymus SS Cabernet Sauvignon! That’s a case of Caymus in 1 bottle!  $3,500 Estimated Value
• 2 Nights for 2 people in Siena, Italy at the San Felice Holiday House Le Bonce with a tour of the winery and a personal tasting. This wonderful package comes with a 5 liter of 2006 San Felice Chianti Classico to get in the spirit!

Don't miss out on the opportunity to place the winning bid on these impressive lots.  Reserve your seat today to be part of an evening full of festivities, food, and of course, wine!

The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas is thrilled to be selected as the 2011 beneficiary of Sip & Savor Austin - a city-wide food and drink celebration with one goal – to get the most “people in the door” of participating restaurants and bars, surpassing any food and drink event in the city.

Sip & Savor Austin is a 2-week event from January 16-30, 2011 featuring a variety of venues including Max's Wine Dive (Foundation Community Partner!), Whole Foods Market, Urban at The Westin, The Carillon, Paggi House, La Sombra, III Forks and many, many more!

To see all special, menus and events - visit http://www.sipandsavoraustin.com/. Let us know where you'll be Sipping and Savoring - we'd love to join you!

Top 10 Wine Stories of 2010 (according to Wine Enthusiast Magazine)

It has been an exciting year here at The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas. We've thrown some great wine and food events, enjoyed delicious food, plus continued our mission of supporting education by awarding outstanding Chefs and Sommeliers with scholarships.

The staff found the article below  featured in Wine Enthusiast Magazine (article shortened) interesting and made us wonder - what does 2011 hold? Let us know what you think.

Top 10 Wine Stories of 2010:
1) The “new normal.” Continuing to scramble the game board in the face of ongoing economic uncertainty, fewer consumers are willing to pay luxury prices, with predictable results on sales at every tier. In the U.S. market, the “sweet spot” of $12 to $15 slipped to $9 to $12 in 2009, and has remained. Anything over $20 is a tough sell.

2) Changing of the guard. Winery executives and owners are trying to figure out if they’re going to stay in the game or sell out, especially family businesses wondering if the next generation is going to take things on.

3) European wine flexes its marketing muscle. The European Union followed up the market reforms it instituted in 2008 with the promised funding: over a four-year period, well over 828 million euros ($1.16 billion) to support the marketing of European wine.

4) Continued export growth for Argentina and Chile. Argentinean Malbec has been the hot wine of the year. 

5) Climate change. France is dry, Portugal is hot and California is cold: six consecutive years of chilly vintages with 2010 being the coldest ever or nearly so.

6) Green wines.

7) Exchange rate fluctuations.

8) Oversupply. Wine in oversupply in various parts of the world and price segments are making this a buyer’s market, but at a time when consumers struggle for a sense of economic security.

9) Château Lafite-Rothschild in Asia. Vintages of this iconic winery have become an outsized status symbol above and beyond the other first growths in Asia, the most visible symbol of the way the bottomless pockets of Asia’s elites have vaulted the prices for Bordeaux 2009 top growths into the stratosphere.

10) State sales of alcoholic beverages. At least four states are considering an end to their state-run liquor stores, but if Washington State is typical, no change will happen soon.

To read the full article, please click here.

Happy Holidays to you and your family!