The annual Wine on the Water held in June is always one of the Tahoe Sierra’s premiere wine-tasting events, featured dozens of exceptional producers who brought their best to impress the well-heeled crowd. As the main fundraiser for The Boys & Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe, WOW kicked off the much-anticipated warm-weather tasting season.
Hosted lakefront at Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe’s Lone Eagle Grille in Incline Village, Nev., the 2018 edition brought together wine, food, great music and a silent auction full of top-shelf wines, luxury items and experiences. The wine offered was perhaps from the most prestigious lineup of wineries seen at a public tasting on our shores.
Wine-world luminaries such as Frank Family Vineyards, Anthem Winery, Pride Mountain Vineyards, Schweiger Vineyards and Round Pond Estate — to name a few — poured their wares; those who are wine savvy will recognize nary a pedestrian in the bunch. Many brought a full roster of offerings making for a wine playground for oenophiles. And it was not just regular bottlings on display; some of the highlights included Miner Family Wines, The Oracle; Frank Family’s Rutherford Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Mollydooker Wines Blue Eyed Boy Shiraz and David Arthur Elevation 1147. These are highly allocated big-gun wines rarely offered outside the inner circles of preferred restaurants and collectors. Most of these went at the VIP hour, but surprisingly the wineries generously kept pouring them into the afternoon.
The creative food-pairings were created by The Chop Shop, Jason’s Beachside Grille, Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe, Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe’s Manzanita and Brimms A Catering. The cornucopia of gourmet sliders, salads, roasted and fresh vegetable plates, artisan breads, desserts and more not only complimented the wines quite nicely but brought an additional element of art to the proceedings with their beautiful presentations.
Jeff Jones Band brought the house down as usual with their blend of eclectic music, energy and always great vibe. I have to give a special shout-out to this group of excellent musicians; they are always available for nonprofits and always deliver the musical goods any time they play.
