April 5 & 6, 2013
St. John’s College
Annapolis, Maryland
Sponsored by the Friends of St. John’s College in cooperation with Bay Ridge Wine & Spirits.
Proceeds benefit St. John’s student scholarships.
Great books have long been a traditionat historic St. John’s College in Annapolis. But you don’t need to be a Johnnie to experience the next great St. John’s tradition: great wines.
In Vino Veritas is an exceptional wine event that celebrates the successes of second-generation St. John’s alumni winemakers (The Scholium Project, Kongsgaard, Turley, Goldeneye, and Stags Leap) with tastings and workshops. The two-day event is full of activities that will appeal to both the connoisseur and the curious. At the forefront is the Grand Tasting, with nearly 100 wines as well as craft-brewed beers to tempt every palate.
The premiere event is the Judgment of Annapolis, which will recreate the famous 1976 tasting in Paris that put California wines on the map. The Judgment of Paris was won by Warren Winiarski, St. John’s alumnus and founder of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. This time, French wines will be judged against a second generation of Johnnie winemakers.
All proceeds go toward scholarships for St. John’s students.
The Judgment of Annapolis
[Registration for this event is now full.]
Friday, April 5, 2013
5 to 9 p.m.
$225 per person
Join St. John’s alumni winemakers and be a part of wine legend with this unique wine tasting and dinner. The Judgment of Annapolis is a tribute to the 1976 Paris tasting in which a California wine – Stag’s Leap, produced by St. John’s College alumnus Warren Winiarski – toppled France from its spot at the top of the wine industry. This blind tasting will let participants decide whether the United States or France reigns supreme. The California wineries included in The Judgment are those owned and/or operated by the second generation of St. John’s College alumni winemakers, including The Scholium Project, Kongsgaard, Turley and Goldeneye. Local wine columnists Tom Marquardt and Patrick Darr will moderate the tastings, which will compare six French wines against their California counterparts.
The tasting will be held in historic McDowell Hall at St. John’s. Once the victors are decided, participants will be whisked to a wine-paired dinner at the beautiful home of St. John’s College President Christopher Nelson. The menu featuring baked cold water turbot, seared duck breast and braised beef short ribs was designed by Jerry Pellegrino, chef and sommelier at Waterfront Kitchen in Baltimore (formerly chef/owner of Corks) with catering provided by Chef’s Expressions.
→ Wine pairings, complete menus and more
In Vino Veritas: The Grand Tasting
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Francis Scott Key Lobby
2 to 6 p.m.
General Admission: $45
Grand Tasting lets participants experience wines and craft-brewed beers grouped by the regions around the world in which they are produced. There will be approximately 100 wines, and regionally produced craft beers, to tantalize your taste buds and your imagination. St. John’s alumni will be among the winemakers pouring and discussing their wines. Wines will come from Turley Wine Cellars and The Scholium Project from California; Adelsheim/Bacchus Importers from Oregon; Long Shadows/Monument Fine Wines from Washington State; Reliable-Churchill from Argentina; Concha Y Toro from Chile; Constantine/Epicurean Wines from Australia; Luciano Sandrone, Allegrini, P. Antinori and Cantiniere from Italy; Maison Louis Jadot, Maison Trimbach, Robert Kacher Selections, M. Touton, Louis/Dressner Imports and Terry Theis/The Country Vintner from France; and The Country Vintner from Spain. There also will be craft-brewed beers from Devil’s Backbone in Roseland, Va.; 16 Mile Brewing Company in Georgetown, Del.; and Heavy Seas Brewing Company in Baltimore.
→ See the complete list of wines and beers in The Grand Tasting
Workshops (fees indicated are in addition to General Admission) include:
The Johnnie Winemakers
1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Francis Scott Key Auditorium
Free with general admission; registration is required.
The panel discussion will feature the second generation of St. John’s alumni winemakers discussing their craft. Scheduled to participate are Evan Frazier and Alex Konsgaard of Kongsgaard, Abe Schoener of The Scholium Project, Christina Turley of Turley Wine Cellars (founded by Larry Turley) , and Zach Rasmusen of Goldeneye, and August Deimel from Keuka Spring Winery.
Stag’s Leap Horizontal Tasting
Antinori and Chateau Ste.-Michelle Wine Estates personnel (new owners of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars)
3 to 4 p.m.
Admission: $50
A special tasting and discussion of the history of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, its wines and its most-current releases, including vineyard variations as embodied by the wines. Featured wine is the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars “Stag’s Leap Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon.
- 2009 Stag’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon “Artemis” Napa Valley (P90)
- 2009 Stag’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon “Fay Vineyard” Napa Valley (P92)
- 2009 Stag’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon “S.L.V.” Napa Valley (P91)
- 2009 Stag’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon “Cask 23” Napa Valley (P94+)
Vini e Fromaggi – An Italian Wine and Cheese Tour
Stacey Adams – Tastings Gourmet Market
Katie Harper – Bay Ridge Wine and Spirits
3 to 4 p.m.
Admission: $35
Italy offers an incomparable variety of wines (more than 2,400 different styles!), and more than 700 different types of cheeses. With such diversity, the wine and cheese pairing possibilities are seemingly endless. Join cheese expert Stacey Adams of Annapolis’ Tastings Gourmet Market, and Katie Harper of Bay Ridge Wine & Spirits, as they lead you on a journey throughout Italy, highlighting many of her favorite and most delicious vino e formaggio pairings that will leave you saying, “Molto buona!”
The Chemistry of Pairing Wine and Food
4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Admission: $35
Jerry Pellegrino, chef and sommelier of Waterfront Kitchen in Baltimore, will lead participants on a guided tour through the chemistry of taste by comparing different wines with foods. The seminar will feature discussion on acids (malic, lactic, and tannic), sodium chloride and fructose, and why glycerol plays a role in pairing wine with food.
Palate Revolution
Abe Schoener (The Scholium Project) and Hugh Sisson (Clipper City/High Seas Brewery)
4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Admission: $35
An exclusive opportunity to learn from two captains of their industries: Abe Schoener of The Scholium Project and Hugh Sisson of Clipper City/High Seas Brewery. These visionaries will talk about inventive methods of production and achieving the big tastes that make them masters of their art.
In Vino Veritas Trip Raffle
Don’t want the fun to end? Take a chance on an exciting trip for two. Tickets are $50, with only 200 to be sold. The winner will have the choice of:
- Sonoma Wine Extravaganza with wine encounters, luxury car rental, three-night stay and airfare for two.
- Napa Valley Wine Country experience with chauffeur, wine train, Meritage Resort and Spa three-night stay and airfare for two.
- America’s Cup “Stars & Stripes” experience in San Diego with four-night stay and airfare for two.
- Must be 18 years or older to enter.
- Need not be present to win.
- Raffle tickets are not tax deductible.
- All sales are final. No refunds.
- Employees of St. John’s College and their immediate families are not eligible to win.
→ Online purchase of raffle tickets
Silent Auction
2 to 5:30 p.m.
Support St. John’s College by bidding on fun experiential adventures and luxury items. Bidding will be done online and at Saturday’s Grand Tasting. Auction items include:
- You never know who will show up!
- Three days and two nights at the Tarpon Lodge in Pine Island, Fla. Includes airfare for two from BWI airport.
- An evening of fun and comedy in your home with an Upright Citizens Brigade-trained Improv group from New York City. For 20 people.
- Lunch with a priest, a rabbi, and a minister. This is not a joke!
- A Rolex “Datejust” watch.
→ View the full list of auction items and to place a bid
The Barrel Room
2 to 6 p.m.
Want to learn more about wine? The lobby outside of the Mitchell Gallery will become a bookstore on all things wine, with part of the proceeds benefitting St. John’s student scholarships.
→ Register for the events, buy raffle tickets
Thanks to our sponsors:
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Anna E. Greenberg |