Don’t Miss These Haute SF Bay Area Food and Wine Festivals

We’re fortunate that there’s never a shortage of SF Bay Area food and wine festivals. With that in mind, we’re thrilled to tell you about two haute upcoming events that you should definitely plan to attend. First up is the 2015 Lexus Culinary Classic, an exclusive three-day celebration taking place March 6-8 and hosted by Cavallo Point Lodge in Sausalito. Just when you’ve recovered from all of that sipping, swirling and savoring, it will be time to head to Napa for the inaugural Yountville Live, offering an unparalleled Wine Country experience with music, food and wine from March 19-22.

Lexus Culinary Classic

Photo Credit: Kodiak Greenwood

The 2015 Lexus Culinary Classic will be quite an happening. This fab event presents five distinctive experiences, including multi-course menus, a Napa Valley wine tasting presented by Master Sommelier Carlton McCoy, a Sonoma winery dinner and an interactive cooking class demo and lunch. The executive chefs from 11 Lexus Hotel Partners, including Post Ranch Inn’s John Cox and Blackberry Farm’s Joseph Lenn, will create specialty dishes for the event, complemented by premier wines from 20 leading vintners in Napa Valley, Sonoma and Marin County. There will be classic vintages, including Charles Krug wines dating back to the sixties, poured throughout the weekend, which are sure to engage wine aficionados and connoisseurs.

Photo Credit: Tim Porter

We think it’s haute that there will be an Italian-themed hands-on cooking experience during the Lexus Culinary Classic too. “Chow” Italia! features David Viviano (St. Regis Aspen, Colorado), Victor Scargle (Bardessono, California) and Jayne Reichert (Cooking School Director at Cavallo Point Lodge, California). The chefs’ demonstration is followed by a five-course lunch prepared by the class, paired with wines that complement the menu. How haute is that?

That’s not the only thing that has our attention. There’s also a Feast Among The Vines Dinner taking place at Ram’s Gate Winery in Sonoma. Don’t worry about getting there. The guests will be transported privately to the winery from Cavallo Point Lodge in a Lexus fleet so all you have to do is enjoy the sumptuous four-course menu features offerings presented by Justin Everett (Cavallo Point Lodge), John Cox (Post Ranch Inn, California), David Hutton (XV Beacon, Massachusetts) and Nicolas Blouin (Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek®, Texas).

This marks the first year Cavallo Point has worked with Lexus to put on this event at the property. And you’ll be happy to know that some of the event ticket purchasing options include a Lexus Culinary Classic Weekend Package at Cavallo Point Lodge for overnight guests. As you may already know, Cavallo Point is just across the Golden Gate Bridge and the perfect place to enjoy nature, nurture, culture and adventure, along with its fine cuisine.

We wouldn’t be surprised if this haute event sells out so act now.

Click here for more information of the 2015 Lexus Culinary Classic

Yountville Live

Photo Credit: Courtesy Yountville Chamber of Commerce

We can’t wait until Yountville Live! Considered the culinary heart of Napa Valley, Yountville is the ultimate luxury get-away. With its world-class restaurants and accommodations, and many of the Valley’s most celebrated wineries, Yountville marries a breath-taking setting and small-town ambiance with a sophisticated Wine Country lifestyle.

Yountville Live, presented by Volvo Cars of North America, celebrates everything exceptional that Yountville has to offer. The exclusive event will deliver unmatched access to world-renowned recording artists, winemakers, and chefs during a four-day super-luxe weekend of concerts, wine tastings, sumptuous meals and private winery tours.

One of the events we’re already eyeing is the Eight @ Eight dinners, taking place at Yountville’s renowned restaurants and which promises to be the ultimate sensory experience: exquisite coursed dinners paired with premier appellation wineries including a 3-course seated dinner by Bouchon paired with wines by Ma(i)sonry Napa Valley and once-in-a-lifetime musical performances right at the head of the table.

There will also be a Taste of Yountville that goes on all over town, a gourmet gospel champagne brunch with Colbie Caillat and Matt Nathanson, a slew of participating restaurants, including Bouchon (Chef de Cuisine Ross Melling), Bistro Jeanty (Philippe Jeanty), Bottega (Chef Michael Chiarello), Hurley’s Restaurant (Chef Bob Hurley) and Lucy at Bardessono (Chef Victor Scargle), and lots more during this musical and gastronomical explosion.

This is one event where you’ll want to splurge on all-access pass so you can get an intimate immersion into the festivities. These passes are limited so don’t dally.

Click here for more information on Yountville Live

Click here for information about Yountville’s haute lodging, dining, shopping, and activities