Telluride Reserve: Full-Bodied, Great Legs, 8/15 – 8/18!

11 Aug Telluride Reserve: Full-Bodied, Great Legs, 8/15 – 8/18!

The Telluride Reserve, August 15 – August 18, 2019, is a new food and wine celebration hosted by the Town of Mountain Village Owner’s Association and set in fabulous private homes. Guaranteed the Reserve will be an unforgettable event, offering interactive wine tastings with Master Sommeliers and winemakers and four-course lunches prepared by award-winning chefs.

Join “Chopped” judge, Chef Marc Murphy, along with James Beard Foundation winners, a Michelin-starred chef, two members of the Mondavi family, and many other renowned culinary and wine professionals.

Descriptions and bios about all the tastings, the venues, and the talent can be found here.

To learn more about the wineries, go here.

Seats for the Telluride Reserve and all its unforgettable luncheon tastings are limited and filling fast. Get your credentials today, ($1600 per person), and make your personal selection at telluridereserve.com.

Please scroll down for further details.

Why the Telluride Reserve? Unreserved answers:

All poets of pinot can rattle off a list of reasons to drink wine.

Wine complements and enhances the taste of food.

”I cook with wine. Sometimes I even add it to food,” W.C. Fields famously said.

Wine is an antidote to the daily noise. Paired with great food, it relieves the blahs and the OMGs.

“Give…wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.Let him drink and forget his poverty and remember misery no more,” Proverbs 31: 6 – 7.

Wine is also good for your health.

Resveratrol is a natural compound found in red grape skin. The powerful antioxidant is produced by some plants to protect them against environmental stresses. And antioxidants neutralize free radicals, which are believed to be the cause of aging.  Read: enhanced longevity. What’s more, other chemicals in wine are known to counteract the nasty effects of bad fat and cholesterol, which helps explain the so-called “French paradox.”

“Wine is the only thing that makes us happy as adults for no reason,” said New Yorker cartoonist Saul Steinberg.

“The practice of drinking wine and then finding something to say about it has always had a certain national character,” observed The New Yorker.

It seems English wine aficionados are fusty and understated.

Americans are democratic and exuberant. (Europeans might say “bombastic.”)

And the French, well, they have a penchant for lustily anthropomorphic descriptions that invariably involve big-boned ladies and dancing girls.

But when it comes to wine-speak, no doubt certain terms are universal, running the alphabet from “A” for “Appellation” to “V” for “Viscosity.”

When it comes to the Telluride Reserve, however, amongst all the chatter about terroir and wine-making techies, one descriptor should rule: WOW!

The Telluride Reserve, overview:

View of Mountain Village, the setting for TMVOA’s Telluride Reserve and the fabulous private homes in which the wine and food celebration takes place.

“We are thrilled that Telluride Reserve has inspired so much interest among award-winning chefs, winemakers and Master Sommeliers. We are proud to have two members of the Mondavi family—along with their executive chef—as well as four chefs who have won James Beard Foundation awards, a Michelin Star chef, and so many more talented professionals from the culinary and wine worlds,” said Anton Benitez, President and CEO of the Telluride Mountain Village Owners Association.

“Each event has been carefully curated to provide attendees not only with the highest level of quality and experience, but also to allow for direct and personal interaction with our presenters. To ensure the Reserve is a unique and intimate experience, we have only limited tickets available. We encourage everyone to buy your tickets for yourselves and  friends now. Once the events are filled, no additional tickets will be offered. We hope you will be choose to be part of this inaugural event. Personally I can’t wait to welcome each attendee to the Telluride Reserve,” added Benitez

The Telluride Reserve debuts Thursday, August 15. The depth and breadth of the weekend’s dazzling wine and food offerings are an extension of the founder’s elevated taste and their vast network of high-profile talent.

Expect really righteous juice, a “library” selection, and eats to match.

Expect the classic music of wine at interactive wine tastings and off-piste pairings featuring award-winning chefs, winemakers, Master Sommeliers, and wines that express the terroir of vineyards from around the world in intimate, breath-taking settings (thanks to the support of sponsor Invited Home.)

Drilling down to the details, guests are asked to select their weekend tastings based on their interests. Telluride Reserve credentials include eight tasting events and two world-class lunches.

The setting for each of the 10 “Taste & Terroir” four-course luncheons is privates homes and venues, each limited to 30 guests.

Russell Estate, offered by Invited Home.

Russell Estate, interior.

Villa Mendia, interior.

Elkstone,Ph, offred byu InvitedHome.

On the list of presenters are two generations of the Mondavi family, with wines from Tim Mondavi’s Continuum Estate and a menu crafted by Mondavi’s executive Chef, Sarah Scott.

Tim will lead a vertical tasting of Continuum and discuss the intricacies of the vintage and his family’s legacy and life in Napa Valley. Carlo Mondavi, Tim’s son, will showcase his remarkable RAEN wines, which he and his brother Dante founded in 2013, putting them up against some of the great Burgundies of the world in a blind tasting.

Carlo Mondavi

Tim Mondavi

Meet Chef Katy Millard of Coquine, recently nominated for 2019 “Best Chef: Northwest” by the James Beard Foundation. Katy hosts the “Taste & Terroir of Oregon” lunch paired with the wines of Lavinea.

Or enjoy the “Taste & Terroir of Santa Barbara,” including stories of Sandhi and Domaine de la Cote Winemaker and Sommelier Rajat Parr, all while experiencing the culinary skills of Michelin Star-awarded Chef Daniel Patterson.

Savor the “Taste & Terroir of Champagne” in the Russell Estate with Chef Mark Tarbell or the “Taste & Terroir of Bordeaux,” with the head of culinary arts from the Culinary Institute of America, in the French Country chateau known as Aux Pied de Pistes at the foot of the slopes. Or share wines with sommelier and winemaker Rajat Parr, whom you may recognize from the movie “SOMM.” Rajat is working the kitchen at the Village Overlook, a home with views that extend all the way to Utah.

Aux Pied Des Pistes , Offered by Invited Home.

Village Overlook, offered by InvitedHome.

For a truly unique experience, the aforementioned Andrew Shaffner will revisit the “Judgement of Paris.” This signature event of the weekend is a recreation of the famous blind tasting held in 1976 when California wines beat French wines to earn global recognition. The reenactment has only been offered four other times since the original event. (Only 15 spots are available. Two are still available.)

Overall, the Telluride Reserve features over 400 wines that have been hand-selected and carefully curated by Andrew. The wineries he chose to participate include (but are not limited to) Continuum Estate, RAEN, Vega Sicilia, Rodney Strong Vineyards, The Storm Cellar, Lavinea Single Vineyard Wines, Fontanabianca, Llano Estacado Winery, and Bibi Graetz.

More on the Judgment of Paris:

The original Judgement of Paris is a story from Greek mythology about a contest between the three most beautiful goddesses of Mount Olympus – Aphrodite, Hera and Athena – for the prize of a golden apple addressed “To the Fairest.” The story began with the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, which all the gods had been invited to attend except for Eris, goddess of discord. Good move.

At the center of the Judgment of Paris story, Athena offers Paris success in war, but Paris is a lover not a fighter, so he turns her down. Because of that decision, Athena fights against Paris and the Trojans in the saga of the Trojan War. Of course, Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, takes home the prize.

In the next incarnation of “The Judgement of Paris,” the outcome was anything but a foregone conclusion.

Forty-three years ago, on May 24, 1976, the landmark wine tasting changed the world’s perception of California wines. Telluride Reserve revisits this momentous blind tasting supported by a select group of Master Sommeliers and wine experts. Again, history suggests the reenactment has only been offered publicly four other times since the original tasting, so this is  a rare opportunity.

The second iteration of the  “Judgment of Paris” began as a publicity stunt.

As the story goes, an Englishman named Steven Spurrier owned a wine shop in Paris and wanted to drum up business. So, prompted by his American associate, Spurrier decided to stage a competition that highlighted the new California wines everyone had been hearing so much about.

The momentous event was staged in Paris. Six California Chardonnays and six California Cabernet Sauvignons were compared by French judges against top wines from Bordeaux and Burgundy.

When the scores were tallied, top honors went not to France’s best vintners, but to a California white and red: a 1973 chardonnay from Chateau Montelena and a 1973 cabernet sauvignon from Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. A bottle of each now resides at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

While there can be little doubt the winemaker Robert Mondavi played a major role in making California the wine powerhouse it is today, the Paris tasting was equally influential, launching global interest and investment in California wines.

For this event Andrew is joined by Master Sommeliers Evan Goldstein, Eric Hemer, Sean Razee and Damon Ornowski to blind taste through some extraordinary grapes. A total of 15 seats are offered; two remain open.

Marc Murphy of “Chopped,” more:

Chef Marc Murphy of the top-rated Food Network TV show “Chopped” joins other celebrated chefs and sommeliers for the Telluride Reserve. Marc leads two “Taste & Terroir of Tuscany” four-course lunches on Friday August 16 and Saturday August 17.

Born in Milan, Marc’s menu will be inspired by his Italian background and paired with the fresh and innovative wines of Bibi Graetz.

Marc has been cooking for over 30 years and is a well-known New York City restaurateur, as well as a judge on Food Network’s hit show “Chopped.”

Telski’s Andrew Shaffner, more:

Andrew Shaffner is Telluride Ski Resort’s Wine Director and resident Sommelier, in addition to hand-selecting a 1,200-bottle wine list for Allred’s.

Andrew continues to focus on building the Telluride Ski Resort’s wine list across its 13 restaurants. He also curates Telski’s rare-wine aging cellars at both Allred’s and Alpino Vino.

Prior to coming to Telluride, Andrew spent time at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas as the Assistant Wine Director.

Telski’s Stephen Roth, more:

Stephen Roth

As Telluride Ski Resort’s VP of Culinary Services Stephen Roth oversees all culinary offerings at the resort, including the flagship restaurant, Allred’s. The New Jersey native is a French Culinary Institute-educated chef with 31 years of experience encompassing all facets of culinary and restaurant management. His experiences have taken him from Los Angeles to New York, working with some of the top restaurateurs in the country.

Telluride Mountain Village Owners Association, more:

Formed in 1984, TMVOA is a non-profit corporation registered with the State of Colorado and managed by a duly elected Board of Directors. TMVOA is made up of four different membership classes – Class A: Residential, Class B: Lodging, Class C: Commercial, and Class D: Mountain Special Member (TSG). Included in TMVOA’s mission is to preserve and promote a vital resort community for its members and guests, with attention to creating a sustainable village and vibrant economy.

About the principal sponsors:

Saveur Magazine is a gourmet, food, wine, and travel publication that specializes in essays about various world cuisines. Its slogan — “Savor a World of Authentic Cuisine” — signals a focus on enduring culinary traditions, as opposed to ephemeral food trends.

InvitedHome is a luxury vacation rental management company operating in the country’s finest resort mountain destinations. Its recent decision to relocate CEO James Smith to Telluride—one of InvitedHome’s flagship destinations—was based on the company’s commitment to becoming an integral part of the communities it serves.

Maite, VP, Invited Home Colorado. Maite is a 25-year Telluride local and the newest member of InvitedHome’s executive team.

The foundation of InvitedHome’s success is the tremendous environment it creates for its employees. Finding the best workers and paying some of the highest salaries in the industry allows InvitedHome to partner with the best owners, offer the highest-tier homes and attract the most discerning and respectful guests. The focus on hyperlocal growth in Telluride allows the company to give back to the community in meaningful ways, such as its partnership with The Reserve.

“Stephen Roth is a close friend, and after seeing what Telluride Ski & Golf has done to make Telluride arguably one of the top ski resorts, if not THE top ski resort in North America, we couldn’t be more thrilled and honored to be involved with such a unique and exclusive event,” said InvitedHome CEO James Smith. “We’re going to have a ton of fun hosting the attendees in some of the most beautiful homes