It’s old home week at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. Tons of locals–from the Russian River Wine folks, to Josh Silvers of Syrah, cheese magnate Laura Werlin, wine writer Linda Murphy, the French Laundry’s Thomas Keller and gazillions of wine purveyors from throughout the Sonoma & Napa.
Think of it as the Golden Globes of food and wine. Lots of stars, lots of schmoozing, lots to eat and drink. Last night’s pre-event, uh event had me glad-handing everyone from Mario Batali (who complimented me on my orange purse, which matched perfectly his orange Crocs) to Giada De Laurenttis, and Spanish chef Jose Andres. Wow.
This morning, BiteClub snuck into one of the most exclusive events of the gala–a reserve tasting of seven vintages of Screaming Eagle (the wine that infamously sold for a half-million at auction, and continues to command some of the highest prices for Napa cult wine in the history of cult wines.) No, I didn’t get a sip. Security was tighter than, uh, my waistband after last night’s dinner. But hey, I also didn’t have $750 to spend (which, if you do the math, comes to something over $107 a sip. Nice.
Stay tuned for some juicy gossip about a local restaurant overheard this morning. More to come…