Papapietro Perry Wins 2009 Pinot Cup at Annual Pigs & Pinot Epicurean Weekend

Pigs & Pinot 2009 Epicurean Weekend Wraps, Raising Funds For Share Our Strength® and The Healdsburg School
Papapietro Perry Winery Wins Pinot Cup, De La Montanya Winery runner up

Healdsburg, Calif. – On March 20-21, food and wine enthusiasts gathered at the beautiful Hotel Healdsburg (www.hotelhealdsburg.com) and Dry Creek Kitchen as Chef Charlie Palmer welcomed visiting chefs Michael Mina, Christopher Kostow, Graham Brown, Philippe Rispoli as well as winemakers Bob Cabral, Michael Shaps, Lee Martinelli, Jr., James Ontiveros and Michael Henley for a collaborative epicurean extravaganza benefit, Pigs & Pinot.

The sold-out weekend kicked off with Friday's Taste event featuring over 50 Pinot Noir tastings alongside small bites such as Poached Laughing Bird Shrimp "BLT" from Michael Mina in the gala chefs tasting area under Hotel Healdsburg's screened porch adjacent to the Viking Grill where chef Philippe Rispoli served BBQ Pork Vol au Vent; Charlie Palmer's Porchetta and Hot Ham carving station; and the Pork Cheek "Po'Boy" from acclaimed Cyrus restaurant in the Healdsburg chef's showcase in Grange Hall. Guests savored the varied pig inspired bites and swirled bottomless glasses of Pinot Noirs while awaiting the results of the anticipated Pinot Cup.

The renowned judging panel for Friday's 2009 Pinot Cup —a blind tasting competition among the 50 hand-picked Pinot Noirs— included USA Today's Wine Critic Jerry Shriver, San Francisco Chronicle's Jon Bonne and PinotReport's Gregory Walter. Taking top honors was Papapietro Perry Winery (for their 2005 "Peters Vineyard" Russian River Valley Pinot Noir) and De La Montanya Winery (awarded runner up for the 2006 Reserve Russian River Pinot Noir).

On Saturday afternoon, Pigs & Pinot participants attended two seminars: "Piggyback," in which Charlie Palmer demonstrated how to bump up the flavor and texture of lean meats with an added layering of pork, and The Ultimate Pinot Smackdown Seminar led by master sommeliers, Keith Goldston, Fred Dame, Drew Hendricks, and William Sherer. Throughout this "March Madness"- style competition, each Master Sommelier entered his personal selection of 4 Pinot Noirs from around the world and then "pitched" the audience on why each was the best. Four heats later, the audience ultimately chose Woodenhead as their favorite.

The final Pigs & Pinot five-course gala dinner was held at Hotel Healdsburg's Dry Creek Kitchen. As a collaborative offering among the master chefs, each different course featured a signature creation from Palmer or one of his guest chefs, paired with limited-production pinot noirs from wineries Martinelli, Craggy Range, Williams Selyem, Rancho Ontiveros Vineyards, and Maison Shaps & Roucher-Sarrazin. The camaraderie was just as strong in the kitchen as it was in the dining room, with each chef introducing his own course alongside his paired winemaker.

All proceeds from Pigs & Pinot benefited Share Our Strength (Strength.org) and The Healdsburg School (www.thehealdsburgschool.org). Pigs & Pinot is sponsored in part by Visa Signature.

Photos available on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/36799955@N02/collections/.  

For more detailed event information, please visit www.pigsandpinot.com.

Available by request:
- Gala dinner menu and wine pairings
- Dishes and wines served during Taste
- Recipes from Piggyback seminar
- Bios of participating chefs and winemakers
- Complete weekend photography