Spring 2009 - 65° Magazine

We’re actually pouring more Cristal at this dinner than the entirewest coast allocation of the wine.Pebble Goes Bam-BamBY Michael Cervin PHOTOGRAPHY BY D.M. TROUTMANArgentina is a lovely place, no one woulddeny that. But when the Masters of Foodand Wine event, originally located in Carmelat the Highlands Inn, abruptly ended in2007, there was talk of moving the 21-yearWest Coast culinary showcase to the SouthAmerican country. That idea didn’t sit wellwith David Bernahl and Rob Weakley. Theywere able to transform the Masters into itsnew incarnation without missing a beat, andgrowing it exponentially.Pebble Beach Food and Wine launchedheroically in 2008 and as the April 16 thopening approaches there is a renewedeffort to ensure that the sophomore offeringwill be bigger, better, and badder than theinaugural effort. Whereas 2008 displayed 53celebrity chefs, this year 63 celebrity chefswill be on hand. Access to that many toptalented chefs is hard to beat. Maybe harderto beat are the 250 wineries from across theglobe, with the owners, or winemakers presentto pour their wines.“Typically, many of these wineries are tightallocations and limited production,” says cofounderDavid Bernahl. Last year’s event boastedChâteau Margeaux pouring wine from their 1959,‘61, ‘66, ‘70, ‘82, ‘83 and 1990 vintages. And thisyear? “We’re doing some unreal tastings. ChâteauPalmer’s winemaker will start with the 1959, andpour some wines straight from the château thathave never been tasted before,” Bernahl said.Oh, and then there’s the Champagne. “We’redoing a Cristal tasting and dinner with Eric Ripert(star chef of Le Bernardin in New York), with sixvintages. We’re actually pouring more Cristal atthis dinner than the entire west coast allocationof the wine. It’s the first and last time we’re doingthis because there’s simply not enough wine,”Bernahl says triumphantly.It appears that Pebble Beach will become thede facto stop for food and wine to rival, andsurpass, Aspen. “When we looked at the nationallandscape and when we saw that Aspen andSouth Beach were the two most recognized foodand wine events in the country, it made no sensethat California wasn’t represented,”he commented.Certainly with Napa and Sonoma to the north,Paso Robles and Santa Barbara to the south, andeverything sandwiched between the culinarycapitals of the state, Los Angeles and SanFrancisco, Pebble Beach is ideally poised to strikegold. Yet there is still a focus on the local region.“Monterey County agriculture as a whole hasstepped up to the plate and become a sponsor,”Bernahl said. “On each and every plate you havethe chance to see Monterey County agriculturerepresented,” he stressed. “After all, it’simportant to remember how much we feed thenation.”Feeding the nation is one thing, but feeding thelocal communities through charitable giving isquite another, and just as important. During theirfirst year at bat, the event raised over $100,000;money which found its way to Casa of Monterey,Boys and Girls Clubs of Monterey, and othercharities. This year the event should bring inan even larger cache for charities. This addsup to the proverbial win-win for Pebble Beach,Monterey, and wine and food lovers everywhere.The grand tasting is still an affordable $165 whichallows access to star chefs and over 500 individualwineries, and weekend packages start as low as$1,000, sans lodging. “We’re trying to providevalue,” Bernahl says, something that, in spite ofthe economic downturn, will undoubtedly lurenovice and serious wine and food aficionados tothe beauty of the California coast. °Second AnnualPebble Beach Food & WineApril 16-19, 2009Presented by American Express Publishingwww.pebblebeachfoodandwine.comEVENT