Inside the Posh Savor Windsor Dinner with Galen and Hilary Weston

Philanthropist and business executive Galen Weston and wife Hilary , founders of  Windsor, the exclusive residential community in Florida,  recently hosted the inaugural biennial Savor Windsor dinner in partnership with Moet Hennessy, a posh event that attracted top names from the Windsor community and New York. The goal of the evening was to help provide financial support for the local community through the Windsor Charitable Foundation.

In addition to the Westons, attendees included Marilyn and Charles Baillie,Christopher and Maria Whittle, Galen Weston Jr., Alannah Cochrane, James Dunning and Susan Magrino Dunning, Michael Ferrell  and Trish Backall, Ken and Sheryl Dowd, Manley and Mary Johnson, and Bob and Jodie King.

Seth Box, private client director for Moet Hennessy, masterminded the evening with an elaborate dinner that paired top Champagnes with fine red wines. “Most people don’t think of Champagne as great accompaniment with food, when in fact it’s one of the most versatile,” says Box. “Champagne loves salt and fat, two of the things that make most food tasty.”  He noted that Rose’ Champagne has red wine in the blend allowing it to pair with heavier meat dishes like veal and lamb, which were served at the Windsor dinner.  “The red wines for each course were added as a foil, lending a more classic component to the pairing and allowing the guests to contrast each wine’s versatility.”  Box chose Cheval Blanc from Bordeaux, and Clos des Lambrays from Burgundy as the dinner’s classic wines, with Termanthia from Toro in Spain and Cheval des Andes from Argentina as the outliers. 

“Over the four courses with a red wine and a Rose Champagne, it was wonderful to see the room almost equally divided on which paired better with the food,” says Box. “The Dom Perignon and Krug Rose showed beautifully with the veal and lamb, and the Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame Rose was gorgeous. Cheval Blanc 2005 was certainly the favorite red of the night while the Cheval des Andes; a Malbec-Cabernet Sauvignon blend from Argentina was the surprise discovery of the evening.”