The Garagiste Festival announced its first ever sit-down 'Taste of Garagiste" wine pairing dinner in Southern California, as part of the lead up to November's 3rd Annual Garagiste Festival in Paso Robles. The intimate dinner event, 'Flights & Bites,' features a six-course menu from renowned chef Claud Beltran paired with the wines of two outstanding Paso Robles artisan winemakers, LaZarre Wines and ONX Wines, both of who will be pouring at the November festival. Flights and Bites takes place at The Eatery on September 21st at 7p.m., Beltran's newest endeavor in Pasadena that showcases his vast experience with both seasonal and regional cuisines. "This event shows just how food-friendly these remarkable and delicious wines, all completely hand-crafted in Paso Robles, can be – especially when paired with the creativity of an incredibly talented chef such as chef Claud Beltran," says co-founder of The Garagiste Festival, Douglas Minnick. "This is an event that will have an artist's passion in every bite and sip. And is the perfect preview for our November festival, giving So Cal a true taste of the diversity and brilliance of the garagistes!"
A big fan of the Paso Robles region, chef Claud Beltran's menu was inspired by the selected wines and includes roasted corvina sea bass with melted leaks, grilled duck breast with chicharon, and braised Niman Ranch short rib. Previously mentored by Master Chef Keller, chef Beltran has established himself as one of Los Angeles' pre-eminent chefs.
The wines show the diversity of the region and will include an Albarino, Merlot, and Pinot Noir from LaZarre Wines and three unusual blends by ONX Wines using grapes from their estate, including Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Tempranillo, Grenache, Malbec and Mourvedre. Adam LaZarre has been working in the wine industry for over 20 years and was recently ranked #63 on IntoWine.com's "100 Most Influential People in the US Wine Industry. The unique blends from ONX Wines are an expression of Briarwood Vineyards (their estate vineyard), located in the Templeton Gap area of Western Paso Robles. Each blend highlights a particular grape, alongside a cohort of blending varietals, in an effort to produce a wine of character and completeness.
Wines will be available for purchase at the end of the evening at a 10 percent discount.
