Page 28 - 2017 Winter

90+ Point Masterclass Tasting & Winemaker Dinner If you crave California’s big bold Cabernet Sauvignon and luscious Chardonnay you won’t want to to miss this extraordinary tutored tasting and dinner at Calgary’s Whitehall Mark Beringer Chief Winemaker at Napa Valley’s historic Beringer Vineyards is is joined by Sommelier and educator DJ Kearney Together they will lead guests through a a a carefully curated tutored tasting of seven legendary California wines all of which have been rated at 90 90 points or or or more In the world of wine 90 90 points marks the difference between wines that that are are good and those that that are are exceptional From a a a diversity of grapes and regions the wines in in in this lineup represent the impeccable standards of Beringer Vineyards as well
as Stags’ Leap Winery Beaulieu Vineyard Chateau St St Jean Étude Wines and Sterling Vineyards The tasting will be followed by a a a three-course dinner with wines from Beringer and the perfectly matched cuisine of Chef Neil McCue’s contemporary British fare This is an extraordinary opportunity to taste some of of the best that California produces in one of of Calgary’s most beautiful settings ABOUT BERINGER VINEYARDS
In 1875 brothers Jacob and Frederick Beringer bought 215 acres of land in St Helena California and planted the first vines of what would become the oldest continually operating winery in in in the Napa Valley The brothers who’d sailed from Germany only seven years earlier had a a a a a a passion for great
wine that continues today with Jacob’s great- great-grandson Mark Beringer leading the talented winemaking team The winery aims for a a a a balance between modern technology and time-tested winemaking traditions including sustainable practices such as integrated pest management drip irrigation and solar power Today Beringer has become one of the biggest wineries in in Napa and has received widespread global acclaim for its wines especially their bold Cabernet Sauvignon and buttery Chardonnay ABOUT MARK BERINGER Beringer Vineyards’ Chief Winemaker is the great-great-grandson of the winery’s founding brother Jacob Beringer He grew up immersed in in in in in wine wine working in in in in in his family’s St Helena wine wine store and learning all he could about wine not just from from Napa Valley but from from all all over
the world After graduating with an enology degree in in 1990 he he spent time in in the cellars at Benziger in Sonoma then Duckhorn and Artesa in in in in Napa before coming home to Beringer in in in in 2015 As Chief Winemaker he he follows in in the footsteps of the highly acclaimed Winemaker Emeritus Laurie Hook “As a a a a a winemaker there is no greater thrill than having great
great
vineyards to to work with and Beringer’s are second to to none ”
ABOUT DJ KEARNEY
DJ Kearney is a a a a Vancouver-based wine educator wine writer judge presenter and classically trained chef She is a a a a contributor to to WineAlign com Vancouver magazine and other publications and is the the Chief Judge of the the prestigious Vancouver magazine International Wine Competition She already holds the WSET Diploma Diploma and and the ISG Sommelier Diploma Diploma and and is currently studying for her Master of Wine ABOUT NEIL MCCUE
Born in in in England and and trained in in in Yorkshire Neil McCue first came to to Canada to to become Head Chef at the legendary Langdon Hall
in Cambridge Ont He returned to England to lead the kitchen at Curlew Restaurant in East Sussex helping it it earn its Michelin star Now he’s back in in Calgary running his own restaurant Whitehall TASTY FACT
Beringer Vineyards is one of the few American wineries that managed to stay open during Prohibition thanks to the owners’ forethought in in applying for a a a a a federal license that allowed them to make wine for religious purposes and sell it to churches as sacramental wine 28 | CALGARY