Newport Beach Waterfront Resort Offers the Ultimate Wine and Food
Experience
By Lauren Crowley
Balboa Bay Resort will host the eleventh annual Newport Beach Wine
Festival® May 23 to May 25, 2014. This celebration will showcase Balboa Bay
Resort and its exceptional food and beverage offerings through creative wine
tasting experiences, seminars, a cooking class, a wine maker dinner, a seafood
festival and more. Join Balboa Bay Resort’s Executive Chef, Vincent Lesage,
along with his exceptional culinary team, and some of the best and most
well-known wine makers and chefs in the region for this annual event.
“We are looking forward to this eleventh annual event and
welcoming resort guests, Balboa Bay Club members and our local community, to
the resort to experience an extraordinary wine and food experience,” said Sam
El-Rabaa, general manager of Balboa Bay Resort. “This is a truly unique weekend
filled with exceptional wines and culinary talent.”
Newport
Beach Wine Festival® begins
Friday, May 23 with the intimate Master
Sommelier Coasting Through California Wine Dinner. Kick the holiday
weekend off in style and embark on an evening of exceptional wine and
extraordinaire culinary creations. Guests
will enjoy an exquisite six-course dinner that will take them on a food and
wine journey throughout California. Each course will represent a specific area
in California and will incorporate locally grown ingredients from that region.
Fine wines will be selected for each course by Master Sommeliers Ira Harmon
M.S. and Ron Mumford M.S.
On Saturday, May 24, guests are invited to attend a
cooking class and two wine seminars during the day and the Grand Tasting in the evening.
The majestic Grand
Tasting on Saturday evening will transform The Grand Ballroom at Balboa Bay
Resort into a beautiful tasting room with over 90 wineries from around the
world. Alongside the wines will be endless culinary creations from the chefs at
Balboa Bay Resort, including a selection of seafood, caviars, cheeses, meats
and decadent desserts. Live music will be played to set the relaxed atmosphere
for the evening.
Newport Beach Wine
Festival®
will close on Sunday, May 25, with a farewell Beer for Breakfast, an afternoon All-American Seafood Festival and Cigar “On the Rocks” to end the evening.
Start the
day in European style with
scrumptious breakfast faire and renowned beers from around the world at Beer for Breakfast.
Next, take
in the gorgeous Southern California outdoors amidst the yachts at the All-American Seafood Festival. Delight
in great wine, beer and magnificent cuisine from the sea. Sample and savor
wines from over 30 wineries, including winery partner Trinitas Cellars, as you
stroll through the waterfront lawn filled with rows of interactive culinary
stations.
Finish off
the evening with Cigar “On the Rocks”, where you will delight in specialty cocktails, top
flight cognacs, scotches, ports, decadent desserts and of course, cigars.
Schedule of Events:
Friday, May 23
Master Sommelier Coasting Through California Wine Dinner, 6:00 p.m. –
11:00 p.m.
Intimate six-course dinner with
wine pairings selected by guest sommeliers Ira Harmon M.S. and Ron Mumford M.S.
This intimate event is limited to 70 seats. $195 per person, includes
taxes and gratuities.
Saturday, May 24
Cook to This! Cooking Class and Wine Pairing, 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Chef Vincent Lesage will lead
guests in creating their own three-course lunch using wine as the central
ingredient. Sip wine as you help create each course.
$90 per person, includes taxes and gratuities.
Seminar #1, 3:00 p.m.
Quintessa Wine Tasting
Napa Valley vertical wine tasting
consisting of eight wines.
$75 per person, includes taxes and gratuities.
Seminar #2, 5:00 p.m.
Coastal California Appellation
Experience
California wine tasting and
engagement with guest sommeliers that will educate guests on a variety of great
wines from the different regions of California.
$65 per person, includes taxes and gratuities.
Grand Tasting, 7:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Experience tastings from over 90
wineries from around the world with delectable food pairings from the resort’s
culinary team.
$135 per person, includes taxes and gratuities.
Sunday, May 25
Beer for Breakfast, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Take
part in a European tradition and enjoy beer for breakfast. Join the resort’s
very own brewer, JC Converse, CSW and Certified Cicerone, as you delight in a
variety of JC’s favorite brews from renowned beer capitals of the world − all
perfectly accompanied with delicious and hearty rustic breakfast faire.
$45 per person, includes taxes and gratuities.
All-American Seafood Festival, 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Delight
in great wine, beer and magnificent cuisine from the sea at this outdoor
seafood festival. Sample and savor wines from over 30 wineries, including our
winery partner Trinitas Cellars, as you enjoy an incredible selection of the
finest seafood.
$99 per person, includes taxes and gratuities.
Cigar “On the Rocks”, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
An
evening of top flight cognacs, scotches, ports, tequilas, specialty cocktails,
fine artisan cheeses, decadent desserts and of course, cigars.
$60 per person, includes taxes and gratuities.
To purchase tickets, please call
Balboa Bay Resort at 949.630.4145.
For additional information on the
Newport Beach Wine Festival®, please visit http://balboabayresort.com/newport-beach-vacations/newport-beach-wine-festival/.
About Balboa Bay Resort
Balboa Bay Resort, the only
waterfront resort in Newport Beach, offers stunning bay views and sunsets over
the Pacific Ocean. The resort’s newest restaurant, Waterline, a refined
waterfront spot for breakfast, lunch and dinner, will open in March. The
cuisine will be nautical in theme, emphasizing local seafood. The property also
has a waterfront bar and lounge feature a wide variety of cocktails, beverages
and casual fare. Other resort amenities include a full-service
10,000-square-foot spa; a wealth of outdoor recreation, including a year-round
heated swimming pool and whirlpool, water activities, and for guests to rent
from the private dock: electric boats, stand-up paddleboards, and kayaks; and
more than 18,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space. For
information and reservations, please contact Balboa Bay Resort at 949.645.5000;
or visit the website at www.balboabayresort.com.
About Meritage Collection
Meritage Collection is a new life and style collection from Pacific
Hospitality Group, which includes independent hotels, resorts, wineries, and
golf courses. Meritage Collection offers exceptional travel and one-of-a-kind
experiences in four of California’s most spectacular locations—La Jolla, Napa
Valley, Newport Beach, and Santa Barbara. Blending the best in leisure and group
travel, Meritage Collection débuted in 2013 and includes The Meritage Resort
and Spa, Bacara Resort & Spa, Balboa Bay Resort, and Estancia La Jolla
Hotel & Spa. For more information about Meritage Collection, please visit www.meritagecollection.com.
