This summer the Robert Mondavi Winery is holding a new
conference,
Taste3, which will bring together wine, food and the arts. The
conference will take place in Napa, California from July 13-16 at Copia: The American Center of Wine Food & the
Arts. The list of people tapped for the conference are widely eclectic, ranging from Austrian crystal designer Georg
Riedel to archaeological chemist Patrick McGovern and Leo McCloskey, founder and president of Enologix, a wine
consultancy that uses chemistry to predict taste score. There will be winemakers, scientists, writers and sommeliers
and even Robby Barnett, the artistic director of the dance troupe Pilobolus. The conference will feature a variety of
chefs such as Alice Waters and Thomas Keller. The event will include epic dinners at famous Napa Valley wineries such
as Harlan Estate, Quintessa and Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, and the most anticipated meal, the Great Chefs of
Robert Mondavi Winery Alumni Dinner on Saturday, July 15, in which some of the world's most famous chefs will create
dishes paired with special anniversary selections from Robert Mondavi Winery's wine library. The conference will end on
July 16, the 40th anniversary of the Oakville winery. Taste3 costs $2,350 per person.
When it comes to high end dining, most consider the food, rather than the tableware. At Berkeley's Chez Panisse, chef/owner Alice Waters worked with Heath Ceramics to design custom place settings. Her reasoning was that since her food was locally sourced, her tableware should be, too. While you can buy the full range of Thomas Keller's tableware, Heath Ceramics has only released a 4-piece set, along with some serving dishes, for home use from their Chez Panisse Collection. The set is available in a neutral almond/ginger color. Price: $146.
