Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival
First off, let me say that the Pebble Beach Food & Wine event was not cheap. I had done this many years ago when my friend turned 50, and he had about a dozen people come and do the whole weekend, including some private meals- one led by Jacques and his daughter, Claudine! That was not cheap
This time, it was just my friend (now many years older than 50) and me. We purchased individual tickets for:
Thursday: Opening Night hosted by Jonathan Waxman ($429)
Friday: An Italian Walk-Around ($250)
Saturday: Tasting Pavilion ($395)
Clearly a splurge, and a little embarrassed how much I spent.
At least I went frugal on our hotel, staying at the Holiday Inn Express at Monterey Bay. I paid for our 3 nights with my Annual Free Night Certificates from my IHG Select (no longer available) and my IHG Premier cards, and 39K points for the third night.
My wife and I stayed at the Intercontinental The Clement Monterey last year, and that’s a much nicer hotel- right on Cannery Row. Next time, I’m staying there!
So, was the Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival worth the money???
Thursday: Opening Night hosted by Jonathan Waxman ($429)
This was a very large event spread across many rooms in the main Lodge. It was a bit of a maze to find all of the rooms. I was lucky that my friend was familiar with the Lodge’s layout, and could guide me through the various rooms. The Lodge is an older building, so the layout was not obvious.
The food and wine station locations seemed to be rather random. I really wanted a map to identify my target food and wine stations, but I couldn’t find one.
The food and wine were all pretty good, but the whole thing paled in comparison to the Tasting Pavilion (see below). I wouldn’t do this event again.
Friday: An Italian Walk-Around ($250)
Unfortunately, it was raining, and the organizers had planned to have several food & wine stations outside. This meant that for most of the evening, everyone was jammed inside making the affair rather unpleasant.
But the worst part was that there were only two stations with wine, and only one had red wine. Banfi was the only provider of wine (still & sparkling). They had a Brunello Reserve, which was the only thing that I ended up drinking. Curiously, there were multiple stations with hard liquor, including Tequila, which is obviously not Italian.
I did end up trying a Black Manhattan, which I really enjoyed. I guess they were serving it because it includes a couple of Italian ingredients.
The food was decent. Not surprisingly, lots of pasta options. Best food was from Rocco DiSpirito, who was serving a lamb chop, which was quite good.
But given the limited wine selections, I wouldn’t do this one again- even if it wasn’t raining.
Saturday: Tasting Pavilion ($395)
This was truly the highlight of the weekend, and I would absolutely do this one again. This event was available on both Saturday & Sunday. So if my liver could survive it, I guess we could have done it twice.
There was a huge number of food and wine stations, and was spread across two very large event tents. I would have a taste of wine and then have a taste of food.
In contrast with the Opening Night, the wine was organized by region, which made it pretty easy to find a winery if you were looking for one. My favorite wines were the Platt Chardonnays (Reserve & Estate), the Outpost Zinfandel, and everything from Flowers.
The 2023 Platt Estate & Reserve Chardonnays were scored 95 and 100 points by Antonio Galloni at Vinous, and I could see why. The Reserve was a step up in complexity and weight, but I personally preferred the Estate. I’ve already bought 6 of the Estate, and scheduled a tasting at their Tasting Salon in Sonoma for June.
The 2023 Outpost Zinfandel was surprisingly reserved, especially compared with the Zinfandels from Bedrock and Carlisle, which I own a lot of.
I was able to have long & informative conversations with the winemakers at both Platt and Outpost, Derek Flegal and Tommy Ufland, since they were working at their respective booths.
We’re members at Flowers, so I’ve tasted there multiple times. Their 2023 Camp Meeting Ridge Chardonnay and 2023 Sea View Ridge Pinot are terrific. Galloni scored the Chardonnay 96 and the Pinot 91. If you have a chance to taste at Flowers, I highly recommend the Estate Vineyard Immersion tasting. It includes 4 wines and 4 “bites” (think amuse-bouche) designed to be paired with each wine. We love these tastings, and we have some lucky friends and adult children who get to enjoy these tastings with us.
The Tasting Pavilion's food was very diverse, with lots of raw fish, wagyu beef, and everything in between. There was even an “ultimate grilled cheese.” My favorite was Stefanie Izard’s lettuce wrap. Her station was close to the entrance. I started with that and then had a second. Later in the day, I went back for a third! Stephanie remembered me and commented on it being my third. I had spoken to her at the Opening Night event. I love her Chili Crisp, which is unfortunately discontinued. So she probably remembered me from then.
I would absolutely do the Tasting Pavilion again! And if I only do the Tasting Pavilion, I think I might do both Saturday & Sunday.
P.S. I saw quite a few famous chefs, including Stephanie, Jonathan Waxman, Rocco DiSpirito (serving the lamb chops and taking pictures with fans), Geoffrey Zakarian, and Ayesha Nurdjaja (one of Bobby Flay’s “Titans” from his Triple Threat show. I’m sure there were more. I also spoke to someone who “manages” famous chefs. I asked him how he got that job, and he said he had just watched Tom Cruise in “Jerry Maguire”, and thought he could do the same for chefs- smart!!
