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Blending Seminar & Wine Country Picnic
Blending Seminar & Wine Country Picnic with Beaulieu Vineyards
$200 per person
Attire: Dressy Casual (partially outdoors)
*Complimentary valet parking at the Epicurean Hotel
Kick off our 26th annual Bern’s Winefest at the Epicurean Hotel with our signature wine blending seminar in the theater, followed by a wine country picnic on the terrace. Featuring wines from Beaulieu Vineyards with special guest speaker and Chief Winemaker, Trevor Durling, this event marks the beginning of everything fabulous about this week. Our expert panel of Bern’s Steak House sommeliers will guide you through blending next year’s special bottling release, while you learn about the nuances of the art of winemaking. After the seminar, join us on the terrace for a delicious wine country picnic prepared by Chef Jonathan Atanacio and his team of culinary artisans from Élevage SOHO Kitchen & Bar.
Each ticket includes a complimentary bottle of this special-blend collaboration bottle to enjoy with friends and family. Bottles will be released on a future date and available for pick up at Bern’s Fine Wines & Spirits.
*Please note that due to the format of this event; allergies and dietary substitutions cannot be accommodated. Menu items are subject to availability and may change without notice.
The Laxer Family Foundation is a charitable foundation that provides the opportunity to raise money through events that foster a more inclusive and cooperative youth culture while cultivating the advancement of the next generation of culinary leaders through scholarships. Since 1997, Bern’s Winefest has been the main fundraising event for the Bern Laxer Memorial Scholarship. Through the James Beard Foundation selection process, funds are awarded to individuals from the state of Florida in one of three disciplines: Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management, or Viticulture. A portion of the proceeds raised through this event will go directly to the Bern Laxer Memorial Scholarship Fund. For more information about our organization, please visit our website; laxerfamilyfoundation.org.
Menu
Family Style Wine Country Picnic
Bruce’s Fried Chicken and Waffles
Red Bliss Potato Salad – dill, shredded carrot, pickled shallot
Baby Spinach Salad – golden raisin, cashew, apple, coconut curry dressing
French Onion Mushroom Tart – gruyere cheese, thyme
Marinated Shrimp – citrus, sweet peppers, fava bean
Beef Crostini –horseradish, garlic, fennel marmalade
Poached Asparagus – deviled egg dressing
Charred Sweet Corn – half dried tomato, guanciale
Spring Pea Salad – smoked mayonnaise, guanciale, bandaged cheddar
Duck & Herbs Stuffed Piquillo Peppers
Assorted Cheeses and Charcuterie
Strawberry Shortcake
~Wine selections available during the picnic~
TREVOR DURLING
GENERAL MANAGER AND SENIOR WINEMAKER
Trevor grew up in Sonoma County, at the heart of Northern California’s wine country, where wine was a staple at his family dinner table. Following high school, Trevor intended to join the Reserve Officers’ Training Corp (ROTC) program at the University of California, Davis, and follow in his grandfather’s footsteps, a 37-year Air Force veteran. However, after a brief time as an undergraduate at Davis he enrolled in an introduction to winemaking class and was immediately enamored. Trevor realized that winemaking united his love of agriculture, science, and cuisine, and so he transferred to the UC Viticulture and Enology program. After a harvest internship at the Russian River Valley-based Sonoma-Cutrer winery in 2003, Trevor worked two consecutive sparkling wine harvests for Gloria Ferrer in Sonoma’s Carneros District. In late 2005, Trevor joined Moon Mountain Vineyard, a small, well-regarded organic vineyard in Sonoma Valley. “Moon Mountain was a great place to start my career,” he says. “I got to work on exceptional, small-lot wines made primarily from Bordeaux-style grapes grown in mountain terroir.”
In March of 2010, Trevor joined Provenance Vineyards and Hewitt Vineyard in Napa Valley as assistant winemaker, where his first contributions were integral to Hewitt Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 earning Wine Spectator’s 2013 #4 Wine of the Year. In early 2015, Trevor succeeded founding winemaker Tom Rinaldi and previous winemaker Chris Cooney in his appointment to lead winemaker. Trevor worked hand-in-hand with Tom and Chris, crafting highly regarded wines until June 2017 when he was named senior winemaker at Beaulieu Vineyard, replacing Jeffrey Stambor.
Trevor presides as only the fifth senior winemaker in Beaulieu’s more than one-hundred-year history to craft the winery’s pinnacle bottling—Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Respectful of and humbled by the winery’s legacy, Trevor is keenly aware of his role in defining Beaulieu’s future. “Early in my winemaking career, I recall trying the 1968 Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon with a family friend,” he notes, “it not only left an indelible impression on me, but it shaped the path of my career and the wines I wanted to create. It was a cult classic then and it still is today.” In May 2022, the 2019 Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon received a perfect 100-point score from JamesSuckling.com. It is the first 100-point score in the winery’s history.
In addition to his career as a full-time winemaker, Trevor is an active member of the Rutherford Dust Society, whose mission is to encourage, promote and build a sense of community around the Rutherford Viticultural Area where Beaulieu Vineyard is based. In his free time, Trevor is an avid golfer, snowboarder, and enthusiastic fan of the San Francisco Giants; and has a passion for music, playing piano, trumpet and guitar. He also loves to barbeque, cook at home and explore wines of the world.
