Wine notes: Chef Mina addresses CIA chef grads
Chef Michael Mina, an accomplished Bay Area chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author, addressed 19 graduates at commencement ceremonies at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Greystone on Dec. 5.
“Your responsibility is to continue to make our industry better and better,” said Mina, a 1989 CIA graduate. “It’s about perfection, whether it’s a Michelin three-star restaurant or the perfect roast chicken.”
Mina graduated from the CIA in Hyde Park, N.Y., and soon after joined forces with partners to open Aqua, a nationally acclaimed high-end seafood restaurant in San Francisco. In July 2004 he opened his signature restaurant, Michael Mina, which has earned two stars from the Michelin Guide and four stars from the San Francisco Chronicle. Mina has since opened five more restaurants in California and Las Vegas, earned numerous chef and hospitality awards, and made many TV appearances.
The graduates make up the third class to earn an associate degree in culinary arts at the CIA at Greystone. This 18-month program offers students extensive hands-on cooking classes.
Devils and angels concert at Grgich Hills
Les Violettes, made up of Violet Grgich, harpsichord and Colin Shipman, viola da gamba, will perform characteristic pieces of the French Baroque, including music written by Marais and Forquerary at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 11 in the salon at Grgich Hills Estate Winery, 1829 St. Helena Highway (Hwy. 29) in Rutherford. In 1740, Hubert Le Blanc, in comparing the two, declared that one (Marais) played like an angel, and the other (Forqueray) like a devil.
Cost is $25 general admission and $15 for Grgich Hills wine club members. For reservations, please contact info@grgich.com or call the winery at 963-2784.
Anti-aging white wine released
Global Beverage Innovations, Inc., a company dedicated to developing and promoting Anti-Aging products around the world, has released a new resveratrol enhanced white wine, called Anti-Ageing Wine +Resveratrol.
Studies have found increased health benefits for red wine over white wine, and now consumers can enjoy all the benefits of a red wine in a non-vintage style blended white wine from grapes grown by local wineries in the Napa Valley.
Winery begins ‘green’ program
Clif Family Winery, maker of high quality wines with a focus on sustainably farmed and organic grapes, recently launched a consumer program enabling its customers to help the environment.
Created by the Clif Family Winery team and introduced in partnership with NativeEnergy, customers can participate in the “Green My Shipment” program when they order wines or olive oil online at www.cliffamilywinery.com. Consumers who want to participate in the green program will add 25 cents per bottle to their order to help offset CO2 emissions generated by the packaging and shipment of that order.
All the money collected through Green My Shipment will go directly to NativeEnergy to help support the Cascade Sierra Solutions Trucking Efficiency Project. This program helps independent truck owners/operators improve fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions and other pollutants generated by ground freight transport.
To read more about the winery’s commitment to sustainability, go to www.clifbarfamilywinery.com/tools/Sustainability_Program.pdf.
Mondavi joins Bailliage board
Angelina Mondavi has joined the board of directors and is assuming the position of Vice Chargé de Missions for the Bailliage de Napa Valley.
Dr. Donald W. Wise, Bailli for the group, states, “Angelina brings both a passion for the group’s worthy endeavors and the youthful enthusiasm to make a bona fide difference in this world. She is uniquely suited to this position, and far better equipped than was I, to co-direct our coterie with me for ongoing Chaîne membership, special functions, and our local Chaîne celebrations in the Arcadian Napa Valley.”
Mondavi also is going to assist Wise in shepherding the group’s philanthropic mandate to create programs for young chefs, sommeliers and winemakers: The Chaîne Foundation. This foundation relies upon the support of every Chaîne member to carry out its work — which not only maintains the Chaîne as a leader in the culinary arts - but also reflects the philanthropic wishes of the vast majority of Bailliage de Napa Valley Chaîne members.
The Bailliage, launched by Michael Mondavi as its first Bailli in 1979, unites professional and amateur gastronomes in a private, not-for-profit society, committed to promoting the culinary arts and those of enology and hospitality through example, education, philanthropy and camaraderie.