Mountain living has so many advantages and one of the best is the sense of togetherness forged by intimate communities and common causes. Every November, the North Tahoe Boosters presents An Elegant Affair at the Boatworks Mall in Tahoe City, which brings locals and visitors together to enjoy great food and wine, and to support arts, sport and other growth-oriented activities for youth on the North Shore.
Courtesy of Elegant Affair
This black-tie optional event is also a rare mountain-living opportunity to pull out our finest duds, and the 2015 version was no exception as attendees flashed ties, tails and sexy gowns as they strolled the festive setting enjoying some of Tahoe’s best bites and some of the best wines anywhere.
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“Revelers were rewarded with a lineup of top-tier California wines.”
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North Lake Tahoe is blessed with some of the most generous and community-minded restaurateurs who seem to jump at every opportunity to give back. Some of the food philanthropist/superstars on hand were Sunnyside, Gar Woods, Christy Hill, Caliente, Jake’s on the Lake, Hacienda del Lago and Wolfdale’s, and they pulled out all the stops offering up creative and delicious cuisine.
On the wine side, revelers were rewarded with a lineup of top-tier California wines like Cabernet’s from ZD Estate, Round Pond, Chappellet, Miner Family, Whitehall Lane, Truchard and Ramey. Pride Mountain brought its excellent Merlot; Mauritson Winery was pouring the crisp Sauvignon Blanc and powerful Zinfandel; Sonoma-Loeb, which is now the Pinot and Chardonnay side of Chappellet, had top-tier examples of both varietals; Elyse brought some of its great single-vineyard bottlings including a rare and rocking Napa Petite Sirah.
Courtesy of Elegant Affair
The Sierra Foothills were well represented including Bill Eastman of Terre Rouge with his specialty wines crafted from Rhone varietals, and Nevada City Winery featuring a surprisingly sophisticated sparkler. You may not know this but Lake Tahoe is where many California winery owners have their vacation retreats, and, as a result, many of the wineries were represented here by owners or winemakers. This is definitely not the norm and made the event a rare opportunity for wine lovers to get the real dish on these great wineries and their beautiful creations.
While there is not enough room here to describe every drink and dish, there is enough room to remind us all to thank the wineries and restaurants who give from the heart for our children by thinking of them when we decide to dine out or grab a bottle or two at the store.
If you missed this year’s event, be sure to put it on your calendar for 2017, and if you would still like to give to this noble effort, visit the North Tahoe Boosters Club Web site at northtahoeboosters.org.
Lou Phillips is a Level 3 Advanced Sommelier and his consulting business WineProwest.com assists in the selling, buying and managing wine collections. He may be reached at (775) 544-3435 or lou@wineprowest.com. Visit TheTahoeWeekly.com for more wine columns.
