June 28, 2010

Partida & Mondavi: Partners in Pairing

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MICHAEL MONDAVI AND GARY SHANSBY PRESENT: A NEW CONCEPT IN PAIRING DINNERS − TEQUILA & WINE WITH AMERICA'S TOP CHEFS

San Francisco, June 28, 2010 − From June 2010 through January 2011, Gary Shansby, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Tequila Partida and Michael Mondavi of Folio Fine Wine Partners (and a Partida board member) are presenting a series of dinners co-hosted by some of America's top-rated chefs in San Francisco, Chicago, Miami, Dallas, Los Angeles and New York. The dinners will bring together press and restaurant industry professionals to explore the surprising relationships between fine wine and tequila. Many of the things that have been taught about wine such as terroir are equally true for fine tequila, which can also be paired successfully with a variety of foods

To those in the worlds of fine wine & spirits and business, Gary Shansby and Michael Mondavi are legend. Gary is renowned for his skill in brand building, having turned premium brands like Famous Amos Cookies, Voss Water and Mauna Loa Macadamia Nuts into household names. And Michael has had tremendous personal success as the producer and importer of some of the world's best wines. These pairing dinners are a way for Gary and Michael to showcase their commitment to their brands and their deep connections to the gastronomic world in an intimate setting. Michael will present his family's wines including: M by Michael Mondavi, his signature Cabernet Sauvignon from the Animo Vineyard in Napa Valley; Emblem Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon; and a selection of Isabel Mondavi wines. Gary will pour all four Partida marques: Blanco, Reposado (rated the best tequila in the world by Paul Pacult), Añejo and the Elegante Extra Añejo.

The first dinner took place in San Francisco on June 22 with co-host Traci Des Jardins at Jardinière restaurant. Additional events will take place in Chicago on July 13 with co-hosts Paul Kahan and Mike Sheerin at Blackbird Restaurant; in Miami on August 3 with Philippe Ruiz of La Palme d'Or Restaurant at the Biltmore Hotel; and in Dallas in September, Los Angeles in October and New York in January. Each dinner is a collaboration between Gary, Michael, and the chef to create a unique menu that is specially suited to enhancing the flavors of the wines and tequilas.

At Jardinière, renowned chef Traci Des Jardins relished the challenge of creating a special menu to meet this pairing challenge. “Not only am I a fan of fine wines like those from Michael Mondavi, but tequila is my favorite spirit,” said Chef Des Jardins. “I enjoyed the opportunity to match Jardinière food with Partida Tequila and Mondavi wines and created a tasting menu that ranged from seared scallops, braised pork, crispy sweetbreads and roasted porcini mushrooms, to crème caramel and peanut brittle − all paired of course with the wonderful flavors of Partida tequilas and Mondavi wines.”

The private room at Jardinière was filled with a mix of notable press, chefs, sommeliers and mixologists who were impressed by the connections made between fine wine and tequila. Nick Peyton, Maître d'Hôtel and owner of the renowned Cyrus restaurant commented, “The uniqueness of drinking tequila with food kept me going back to the glasses all evening. For me, the presence of fats in the pork dish provided the ‘palate slip’ needed to carry the heat of the alcohol in the accompanying tequila. I especially enjoyed the Pork Belly with Partida Reposado, and the pairing of Elegante with the Crème Caramel was inspired!” Chef Donna Scala of Bistro Don Giovanni offered further praise of the pairings, saying “the scallop was delicious with the tequila and then the wine with Trio of Pork followed by Elegante with the Flan... it was a celebration on your tongue!”

According to Michael Mondavi, “My family's goal has always been to create elegant, complex wines that not only pair well with food, but invite you back for a second glass. I believe these dinners demonstrate that our wines and Partida tequila both have an elegance and balance which make them particularly food-friendly.”
“I've always loved wine, I grow Syrah grapes on my Sonoma property and I've traveled to many great wine growing regions,” added Gary Shansby. “When I first started to explore the world of tequila and visited the agave estates and distilleries in Mexico, I was struck by the similarities between fine wine and tequila. I believe this dinner concept with creative, well- paired menus like Traci's will encourage America's chefs and food journalists to consider the similarities and perhaps look at tequila in a new way.”

About Tequila Partida

Tequila Partida (www.partidatequila.com) is an authentic, all-natural, estate-grown ultra- premium Tequila, made from 100% blue agave in the Tequila Valley, the heart of Mexico's historic Tequila Valley region. From cultivation and harvest to cooking, distillation and aging, Tequila Partida maintains exceptional standards of quality and consistency. F. Paul Pacult, the leading spirits authority in America, recently rated Tequila Partida Reposado as the best tequila in the world, and one of the top five spirits in the world. Tequila Partida produces four distinctive Tequilas: Blanco (not aged), Reposado (aged six months), Añejo (aged 18 months) and Elegante (aged 36 − 40 months). Tequila Partida is now distributed in Australia, Mexico and the United Kingdom, as well as Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Washington, DC and Washington.

About Folio Fine Partners

Founded in 2004 by the Michael Mondavi family, Folio Fine Wine Partners is an importer, fine wine agency and producer of quality wines for the world's premiere and emerging wine regions. Folio provides sales, marketing and public relations services to wine brands from California, Argentina, Italy, Austria, Spain and New Zealand.