2007 Dinner Under the Winkler Vine

Aprium Three Ways with Diver Scallop
Originally uploaded by monkeycat!.

Each year D.E.V.O (Department of Enology and Viticulture Organization), the student group in the Department of Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis, puts on a benefit dinner to support the group. The dinner, Dinner Under the Winkler Vine, features five chefs who prepare courses to pair with five wines. This year was a great success. We had chefs from California and New Mexico pair courses with wines from California and Oregon. The menu was:

Shrimp and Scallop Mousse Crab Cake with Passion Fruit Vinaigrette / Smoked Salmon Hash with Mozzarella and Herb-Oil Crostini paired with 2003 Shramsberg Vineyards Blanc de Blancs
Eric Frost - Brick Marble Bistro, Murrieta, CA

Lavender Honey Diver Scallop with Aprium Three Ways: Cranberry Chutney, Goat Cheese Quenelle, Fresh Fruit Brulee paired with 2005 Chehalem Dry Riesling Reserve
Sachin Chopra, Executive Chef - Mantra, Palo Alto, CA

Sweetswoods' Goat Cheese Orzo with Roasted Wild Mushrooms paired with 2005 Cakebread Napa Valley Chardonnay
Jennifer James, Albuquerque, NM

Local Squab Three Ways with Spring Vegetables : Crispy Breast, Confit Sweet Potato Agnolotti, Huckleberry and Pinot-Liver Emulsion paired with 2005 Saintsbury Brown Ranch Pinot noir
Mark Estee, Chef - Moody's Bistro and Lounge, Truckee, CA

Rack of Lamb with Blue Cheese Crust, Baby Root Vegetables, Celery Root Puree, Cabernet Rosemary Jus paired with 2000 Seavy Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
Nicholas Johnson, Chef - Piper-Johnson Catering, Calistoga, CA

Pear Soup with Semolina Cake and Almond Panna Cotta paired with 2005 Robert Sinskey Vineyards Late Harvest Pinot gris
Mica and Robert Gott, Savoy Catering, Oakland, CA

The dinner went off without a hitch. We had great live and silent auctions. Five of my photos were featured in the silent auction and one sold for $220!

I hope next year's dinner goes off as well as this year's. Congratulations to D.E.V.O. for putting the event together and thank you to everyone who attended for supporting the mission of D.E.V.O.

If you are in Davis in May/June 2008 and want to attend, contact me through the blog.