seminars and pairing demos

Saturday, March 23, 2024

Seminar 1
Cheese & Wine Pairing with Executive Chef and Certified Cheese Professional Tracey Shepos Cenami at the Kendall-Jackson Wine Center

11:00am-12:15pm

Kendall-Jackson Wine Center, Santa Rosa

Meet Tracey Shepos Cenami, executive chef and cheese specialist leading Kendall-Jackson’s wine and cheese program, in which she developed from the ground up. Tracey will guide you through a seated wine and cheese tasting with homemade accompaniments. Tracey and a wine educator will walk you through as you taste and learn the ins and outs of pairing different wine varietals with different style cheeses. The winery estate features 4-acres of organic gardens, innovative dining events including farm-to-table open air dinners, virtual cooking classes, and a robust wine and cheese pairing program. Chef Tracey leads Kendall-Jackson’s wine and cheese programs, which she developed from the ground floor up. Her recipes have been published nationally, she is co-author of Season – A Year of Wine Country Food and a 3-time winner of Guy’s Grocery Games.

12:30pm-2:00pm 

Kendall-Jackson Wine Center, Santa Rosa

There's much more to visiting Kendall-Jackson Wine Center than wine tasting - it's also an educational and culinary experience.  Set on approximately four scenic acres in Sonoma County, Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate and Gardens offers a seasonal abundance of sight, smell, and taste.  

Select this add on to continue your exploration and education. Kendall-Jackson is offering a special experience for California Artisan Cheese Festival guests. Once you complete the Cheese & Wine Pairing with Chef Tracey, you will have a bit of time to stroll through the Kendall-Jackson Wine Tasting Garden before being seated for a five-course experience that focuses on a selection of small-production, limited release wines with foods to match.  What a great way to wrap up your wine country afternoon. 

Seminar 2

Cheese & Wine Pairing with Cheese Superstar/Edu-tainer Laura Werlin at Bricoleur Vineyards

11:00am-12:15pm

Bricoleur Vineyards, Windsor

Cheese and wine are frequent companions, but with the seemingly infinite number of flavor variations in both cheese and wine, how do you discover the perfect pairings? The answer: taste, taste, taste — not exactly a hardship for wine and cheese lovers! With that in mind, please join Laura Werlin, a James Beard award-winning author of six books on cheese and “edu-tainer,” and Bricoleur Vineyards for an interactive, educational, comprehensive, and delicious tasting of the spectacular Bricoleur wines together with, what else - the equally spectacular California cheeses. We will learn how the fruit, oak, acidity and alcohol in wine interact with the salt, fat, and protein in cheese to create good, great, and even the occasional not-so-great pairing too. What works? What doesn’t? Laura and the staff at Bricoleur will lead you through this fun and delicious tasting all within the beautiful Bricoleur setting, where the ultimate perfect pairings await!

SoarinG

Rooted

A flight of fancy exploring three Bricoleur Vineyards wines and how they are seasonally paired with small bites sourced from their estate and local farms. This experience is a perfect introduction to the Bricoleur philosophy of building community around the table while enjoying exceptional wine and food. Special price for California Artisan Cheese Festival guests of $63.75 plus tax and gratuity.

Revel in sharing their Sonoma County Roots. Bricoleur’s essential core is rooted through community, family, elegant wines, and fine food. Rooted is an immersive wine & culinary experience with a seasonal six-course wine and food pairing at their communal family table. Culinary Advisor, Chef Charlie Palmer teamed up with the Bricoleur team to create a sampling of six wines along with perfect pairings for you to enjoy. Special price for California Artisan Cheese Festival guests $106.23 plus tax and gratuity.

To schedule either one of these special add ons into your itinerary for the weekend please call 707-857-5700 or email info@bricoleurvineyards.com and identify yourself as a guest of the California Artisan Cheese Festival. Space is limited.

Seminar 4
Cheese + Chocolate at Sugarloaf Wine Co. with Chocolatiers Jeff & Susan Maul

1:00pm-2:15pm

Sugarloaf Wine Co., Santa Rosa

Life is sweet…and also a little salty. Indulge in an exploration of three of life’s greatest pleasures:  cheese, chocolate and wine at one of Sonoma County’s newest wine country destinations, Sugarloaf Wine Company! Sonoma Valley’s premiere collective wine tasting lounge, Sugarloaf Wine Company features boutique producers who craft their wine at Sugarloaf’s custom crush facility and is the site of this amazing tasting. Chocolatiers Jeff and Susan Mall of VOLO Chocolates will guide you through the ins and outs of pairing cheese and chocolate, the characteristics that distinguish one style from another, and how to heighten your appreciation of each.  Learn more about what makes certain chocolates cheese-friendly and how best to approach pairing to ensure tasty cheese and chocolate pairings at home every time.  Dessert at your table will never be the same! Wine tasting included!

Seminar includes sampling.  Seminar Location: Sugarloaf Wine Co. at 6705 Cristo Ln, Santa Rosa, CA 95409.  **All sales are final and event takes place rain or shine.