In early June, Sodaro Estate Winery participated in Auction Napa Valley, an event put on by the Napa Valley Vintners to raise money for local charities.  As a result of this highly successful event, $7.26 million dollars has been donated to very worthwhile causes in the Napa area.  See article below.

Emcee Jay Leno at Auction Napa Valley 2008 - photo: Jason Tinacci

Napa Valley Vintners Gives $7.26 Million to Napa County Charities

Ensuring the Area’s Health and Wellbeing in Challenging Times

St Helena, CA – The Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) today awarded $7.26 million raised at its 2008 Auction Napa Valley, giving grants to area healthcare, affordable housing and youth service non-profits, bringing the giving total to $85 million.

“The Auction is such a terrific aspect of our community where we see everyone come together to make it a success, and we are thrilled to have led the event this year,” said Kathleen Heitz Myers, president of Heitz Wine Cellars who, along with her team, chaired the 2008 Auction.

An Outpouring of Generosity

The largest grants, totaling $1.7 million, were awarded to Community Health Clinic Ole and its Sister Ann Dental Clinic from the incredible outpouring of bidder generosity from the 2008 “Fund a Need” paddle raise held during the June event’s Saturday Live Auction. With no prize to be won other than supporting medical care for children, bidders raised their paddles, beginning with those in for $1000, then those in for $5000 and so on, finally paying their top bid placed. When the lot closed, it raised money from 89 individual bidders and more than doubled the 2007 paddle raise revenue.

Maria Criscione Stel, Development Director, Community Health Clinic Ole said, “Community Health Clinic Ole is honored to be counted among ANV’s long-time beneficiaries. As we strive to make medical and dental services accessible to all Napa County residents, we will use the proceeds from this year’s Fund a Need to help cover the cost of providing 62,000 patient visits at our six clinic sites.”

2008 Giving Exceeds Promise

Last year, the NVV made a $25 million promise to the community, ensuring that the Auction will distribute a minimum of $5 million to its beneficiaries each year over the next five years. With the windfall of money raised at this year’s event, the Auction was able to award 45% more than projected.

Pat Stotesbery, NVV’s Board of Directors President said, “Given these shaky economic times, the vintners association is proud to fuel our local non-profits to strategically solve some of the most pressing issues in our community.”

Stotesbery was referring to the new funding guidelines established last year after an extensive community needs assessment, done in cooperation with the NVV and the county’s major healthcare providers. Additionally the NVV conducted a separate study to assess youth and affordable housing needs. These were conducted to ensure that overall Auction proceeds will have the most positive community impact possible and that the Auction’s funding will be focusing on specific needs or criteria, rather than funding specific agencies or charities.

Linda Cranor, Raising A Reader Manager, Child Start Inc. said, “Auction Napa Valley has supported thousands of young children and their families with their generous awards to the Raising A Reader Program over the last seven years. Helping to prepare young children to become successful when they begin school is one of the most important investments we can make as a community.”

Full article available here

This article written by Gerry Furth recently appeared in Coast to Coast Newspaper.  Gerry was kind enough to join us for our wine-pairing dinner at SIMON LA on August 22nd, and she had some great things to say about the experience.

SIMON SAYS, AND HE SAYS IT WITH CABS

Written by Gerry Furth

“Simon” in this case is Executive Chef Kerry Simon of SimonLA restaurant.  In a recent wine pairing menu with Sodaro Estate Napa Cabernets, Kerry’s deceptively simple dishes with underlying complex satisfying flavors showed why he has earned an international reputation as being an innovative and respected chef creating high-style, yet basic, modern – and fun- American cuisine.

Chef Kerry Simon

Only the energy buzz and not the noise from the Beverly Center traffic outside transfers to the playful Sofitel patio that borders a cavernous restaurant and bar.  A slick wall waterfall and a snapping fire pit dot the cabana layout of the patio with umbrella tables and comfy communal bench seating that makes for cozy evenings under the stars or regulated shade in the daytime heat.  The crisply professional and good-natured European management staff overseeing the hotel lends a cosmopolitan air, and there are always friendly jetsetters for company.

A bread basket with a cobalt blue napkin covering the tempting contents arrived at  the table almost as soon as we arrived filled with scones, savory cheese and onion layered squares and pretzel bread instead of more usual mundane far.  It was a portent of things to come.

The chef first presented a warm California goat cheese tart with figs and small herb salad to pair with Felicity Cabernet Sauvignon 2003.  With a rich, red depth of color, its supple structure was able to handle the flavors of the strong yet light introductory course.  The cab’s dark fruit flavors of red cherry compote and plums paralleled the figs while it complemented the herb salad, and the soft, dusty overlay of sandlewood brought out the flavors of the goat cheese tart.

Roasted pacific halibut with corn and fava bean succotash with a Cabernet reduction was paired with a Felicity Cabernet Franc 2004.  Halibut is challenging to prepare.  While a pleasingly “meaty fish,” its heft makes the fish a good choice to pair with a red wine; because it can lack a flavor of its own and can be bland, it becomes a blank slate for the chef.  Chef Simon immediately made the halibut alluring with a papery-thin crunchy layer on top.  This contrasted with the tender, perfectly moist flesh inside.  The small portion of fava bean succotash added a summery color and balance to the fish while the Cab reduction mirrored the wine in the glass accompanying it.

Grilled Prime Culottes of Beef

A shallot wine sauce pulled together the flavors of the meat dish, Grilled prime culottes of beet with French filet beans and truffled potato cake.  Simon’s finesse with truffles shows in this luxurious item, as also demonstrated in his addictively delicious beef carpaccio wood roasted pizza with arugula, blue cheese and truffle oil.

For dessert, a crunchy chocolate mousse cake with passion fruit and marinated raspberries was paired with a Ramos pinto port quinta de ervamoira.   These were the best examples of Chef Simon’s  bright, bold traditional ingredients prepared with a subtle and appealing twist.

Sodaro Estate Winery Assistant Manager, Mark Phelan was on hand to pour and fill in the story about the wines.

Enjoying Sodaro Cabernet

Mark told us that the story of Sodaro began long ago in the mid- 19th century, in Vallelunga, deep in the heart of Old World Italy.   There Giuseppe Sodaro honed his craft of cooperage, making each wine barrel by hand and serving regional wineries.  A terrible drought in 1894 forced Sodaro out and he headed to the U.S. with his family. It was almost another century before his descendants arrived in Napa and Don Sodaro picked up family wine legacy, growing only traditional varietals of the Bordeaux in his affordable wines.

Napa’s harsh but not too harsh soil are perfect for making the vines struggle” to produce interesting and appealing characteristics, reports Mark.  Five different varietals in a nine acre vineyard comprise the Sodaro Estate Vineyard.  This focus on small lot fermentation and the potential for multiple blends produces the highest quality Bordeaux blends.

Chef Kerry may have started his culinary career tossing pizzas at the age of 15 at a Little Caesar’s in suburban Chicago but it wasn’t too long before he was creating the “perfect” omelet for Henry Kissinger’s visits to one of New York’s most prestigious restaurant, La Cote Basque. L.A. will appreciate the chef, unlike Roy Yamaguchi and Thomas Keller when they were in L.A.

A graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, Simon has worked “the line” alongside some of the country’s most outstanding toques, modern-day culinary masters such as Andre Soltner of Lutece, Jean-Jacques Rachou of La Cote Basque, and Jean Georges Vongerichten of Vong and Jo Jo.

Like Vongerichten, Simon’s cooking relies on the simplicity of lightly steamed and sautéed foods, replacing the traditional heavier basics of French cooking such as butter, cream, flour and essentially, heavy, thick sauces, with vegetable juices, vinaigrettes, flavored oils, and broths.

“By using a handful of simple sauces and broths, the diner is able to experience food’s natural, intense flavors,” he explains. “The dishes themselves end up lighter, fresher.”  Simon balances a menu of rich, seasoned foods with a selection of light, yet highly inventive, dishes.

Simon explains that his natural style always features selections from the best, locally raised produce

Junk Food Platter Dessert

Chef Simon’s photo with his unusual shoulder length hair is often visible in high profile national charity event coverage (he’s participated in over 150 so far) and on the food television network, but he’s down to earth and friendly.

Simon is also the best example of the benefits of his own cooking because he looks 20 years younger than his age.  Still, he’s a guy who knows how to have fun as his “junk food” dessert stations show.  And there’s usually a dish of puffy cotton candy on everyone’s table.  You have to be as eager as a kid, with this dish, though.  Otherwise the cotton candy disintegrates into a tiny puddle.

It’s easy to see why restaurants under Kerry’s direction have been named ”Best In America” by John Mariani in Esquire, and he has been a featured guest on Television Food Network.

SIMON LA, Sofitel Hotel, www.accorhotels.com,

8555 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90048, (310) 358-3979

BlogCatalog