Meet the Boca Bacchanal Vintners: the Venetian Values of Masi Agricola!

Hailing from Italy's Veneto wine region and owned by the Boscaini family for six generations, the primary aim of Masi Agricola is to emphasize the personality of their wines while maintaining a distinct Venetian style. In addition to preserving the traditional style, Masi also maintains a focus on technological advancement and continuously seeks to integrate the two. 

In 1958, Masi was in the forefront of the work to identify the historic "cru" vineyard sites for Amarone, the rich, Italian dry red wine made from the partially dried grapes of the Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara varieties. Masi even updated Amarone's style using new appassimento and vinification technologies. Appassimento is the traditional method used in the Venetian regions to give wines greater concentrations of aromas and flavours. The grapes are laid out to rest for a long time on bamboo racks before vinification. Implementing their modernized version of the process, Masi produces five Amarone wines and three Reciotos, made with "100% semi-dried grapes" which gives character to a series of "double fermentation" wines, of which their wine Campofiorin is the archetype. As far as white wines, the Masi Masianco, a white wine made from pinot grigio and verduzzo grape varieties, is an example of the technique of "blending wine made from fresh grapes with wine made from semi-dried grapes." Masi has also taken its expertise in appassimento out of its origins in Italy to Argentina, with Corbec and Passo Doble. 

In addition to its experimentation with principal grape varieties, Masi is also a pioneer in the experimentation and use of secondary Veronese grape varieties such as Oseleta, Dindarella, Croatina, Negrara and Forsellina. Over the years, Masi has earned the distinct recognition of having "revolutionized the art of wine-making in the Venetian region," and garnering the praise of revered British author and wine expert, Hugh Johnson, who defines Masi as "a touchstone for Veronese wines."

Tony Apostolakos

The charming Tony Apostolakos will be representing Masi this year at Boca Bacchanal. Tony is the Director of Marketing and Sales for the United States and spends a good deal of time with the Boscaini family and Masi Technical Group and remains entrenched in their winemaking techniques and global strategy. Born into the tradition of winemaking, Tony’s family owned vineyards in Greece dating back to the early 1900’s before his family immigrated to Montreal, Canada. It was in Canada that Tony was first introduced to Masi in 1999 as he sold their wine in that market for over six years. Given his extensive knowledge of the Masi wine portfolio and family traditions, Tony was presented with the opportunity to work directly for the esteemed winery in the United States as the regional sales director and immediately accepted .

On Friday March 23rd, Masi will be paired with Chef Kevin Garcia of 'Cesca in New York City for one of the six Vintner Dinners. You can also enjoy Masi's fabulous Venetian wines at the Bacchus Bash on Saturday night and at Sunday's Grand Tasting. Hope to see you there! 

Cheers,

The Glamorous Gourmet's Upcoming Events and a Big 2012 Thank You!

After taking a week off to recover from all that Champagne, I am happy to announce a few upcoming wine and food events you won't want to miss in 2012.

First, let me start by saying, after a very challenging 2011, I am thrilled to be participating in many of the events I missed last year due to my injury. I am so thankful to everyone who continued reading my blog and attending my events during that difficult time, I'd like to raise a glass to each and every one of you - thank you so much for your support! That being said, I am very happy to announce these fabulous food and wine events to add to your 2012 culinary calendar:

American Fine Wine Competition: I am honored to be included on the Judges panel for the 5th Annual American Fine Wine Competition on January 15th & 16th. The AFWC is the world's largest and most prestigious invitational devoted solely to fine wines produced in the United States. While the judging event is for judges, sponsors and media only, the AFWC gala will be held Thursday, April 19th at the Boca Raton Resort & Club where guests will enjoy an evening of award winning wines and dinner prepared by Chef Emeril Lagasse! For more information, please visit www.americanfinewinecompetition.com. 

"Bacchus Beckons" Kick-Off Party for the 10th Annual Boca Bacchanal: As many of you know, Steve and I have been involved with Boca Bacchanal, the largest fundraiser for the Boca Raton Historical Society, for quite a few years and it is especially near and dear to our hearts. We are very excited to be General Chairs for the 10th Anniversary celebration this year which will take place March 23rd-25th. I hope you will also join us for the "Bacchus Beckons" Kick-Off Party next Thursday, January 19th at the Boca Raton Resort & Club when the Chef and Vintner Pairings will be announced. It is sure to be an exciting evening! For more information, please visit www.bocabacchanal.com. 

"The Art of Wine & Food" at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale: our monthly series at The Museum of Art continues and we're kicking off 2012 in style with the return of guest speaker and James Beard Award-winning wine writer Lyn Farmer. This month he'll be teaching us about the nuances of understanding and enjoying Port, the fortified wine hailing exclusively from Portugal's Douro Valley. Please join us for this fun and informative evening of food and wine on Thursday, January 26th at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale. For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact Gail Vilone at 965-262-0249. Hope to see you there!

Inaugural Country Club Chef Showdown, Hospice of Palm Beach County: I'm also honored to be included on the esteemed Judges panel along with Chef Norman Van Aken and Master Sommelier Virginia Philip for the Inaugural Country Club Chef Showdown to benefit Hospice of Palm Beach County. This event will feature Chefs from some of Boca Raton's finest Country Clubs, who will be asked to create a signature dish from the same main ingredient - can you say "Allez Cuisine!"? The event will be held Thursday, February 2nd at Broken Sound Country Club, and guests will be able to sample each of the Chef's creations, sip cocktails and enjoy jazz and a wonderful silent auction as well. For more information, please visit www.hpbcf.org.

I hope your 2012 is off to a fabulous start and I look forward to seeing you soon at an upcoming event in the near future! 

Cheers,

The 10th Annual Boca Bacchanal Announces Chef and Vintner Lineup!

It is with great pleasure that I present the lineup of fabulous Chefs and Vintners participating in the upcoming 10th Annual Boca Bacchanal. This weekend-long celebration of food and wine benefits the Heritage Education and Historic Preservation Programs of The Boca Raton Historical Society and will take place March 23-25, 2012. Steve and I are honored and very excited to be serving as Chairpersons of this tenth anniversary event!

The weekend will kick off Friday night with Vintner Dinners hosted in beautiful private residences, featuring the talents of our participating Chefs and Vintners. Saturday night, get ready to revel at the Bacchus Bash where you can sip and savor selections from our Chefs and Vintners during a lively and festive reception, then enjoy a multi-course feast prepared by Boca Raton Resort & Club Executive Chef Andrew Roenbeck. The evening's remarkable silent and live auctions will feature amazing wine, travel, dining and lifestyle lots you won't want to miss! Also, be sure to bring your dancing shoes for the posh, postprandial "Rock your Bacchus" after party. Conclude the weekend with Sunday's Grand Tasting at Mizner Park Amphitheatre where you can stroll and sample delicious dishes from thirty local chefs and enjoy wines from top vintners. The Tenth Anniversary Boca Bacchanal promises to be our best event ever!

So, without further ado, here is the list of internationally renowned Chefs and Vintners who will be participating:

Vintners

Tony Apostolakos of Masi Agricola, Veneto, Italy

 Laurent Drouhin of Maison Joseph Drouhin, Burgundy, France

Dennis Koelewijn of Bodegas Salentin, Mendoza, Argentina
Tom Johnson of Silver Oak Cellars and Twomey Cellars, Napa, California
Clarke Swanson, Swanson Vineyards, Napa, California
Anthony Truchard, Truchard Vineyards, Carneros-Napa, California

Chefs

Kevin Garcia of Cesca and Accademia di Vino, New York, NY
Pano Karatassos of Buckhead Restaurant Group: Kyma, Atlanta, GA; Chops Lobster Bar and City Fish Market, Boca Raton, FL
Michael Tuohy of Dean & Deluca, St. Helena and Napa, CA
 Ken Frank of La Toque, Napa, California
Ken Vedrinski of Trattoria Lucca, Charleston, SC
Carlos Guia of The Country Club at Wynn Las Vegas Resort, Las Vegas, NV 

For more information on the Tenth Annual Boca Bacchanal, please check out www.bocabacchanal.com. I hope to see you there!

Cheers,