Summer’s Greatest Hits: The Best Wine and Food Events in NYC and the Hamptons

This year’s Chefs & Champagne gala was one of the most exciting (and tasty) in recent memory. The major James Beard Foundation scholarship fundraiser attracted 900 guests. Unsurprising, it’s the Hamptons most anticipated event, held in a splendid setting at Wölffer Estate in Sagaponack under an enormous white tent overlooking vineyards and Wölffer’s equestrian center where horses peek through the fence.

What was different this year? It was the year of the woman and females made up half of the 35 top chefs represented—among them the evening’s honored chef, Padma Lakshmi, the host and executive producer of Bravo’s Top Chef.

Besides the heavy female chef presence, many things were new this year. Newly appointed CEO of the James Beard Foundation, Clare Reichenbach, made her very first C&C appearance. Champagne Boizel was the first time champagne sponsor. And for VIP ticket holders and participating chefs, the afterparty, held at an adjoining smaller tent, featured a whole baby lamb and a suckling pig, both cooked on spits while the party under the tent was raging.

Champagne Boizel Brut Réserve, with its elegant tiny bubbles, was a discovery for most guests even though the champagne has been around since 1834 through five generations of the Boizel family. Only recently has it been imported to the US. The champagne opens with aromas of white flowers and fruity flavors of peach, apricot and citrus. With 55% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Meunier, the Brut Réserve has a lot of energy, structure and finesse. It finishes with a yeasty brioche note from its longer aging. Whereas by law champagne must be aged 15 months, Boizel continues to age on its lees for three years, which gives it a taste very much like a vintage champagne.

It’s amusing to hear the crowd engaging in tip trading on favorite dishes. Chef Nick Stefanelli’s burrata with Beluga caviar (Masseria) was a hot commodity. The 45-day dry-aged Angus beef rib-eye with bone marrow and béarnaise sauce (Saxon & Parole) grabbed everyone’s attention as did the foie gras torchon with duck prosciutto and local cherries (Urban Farmer). My initial tip was to try the wood-grilled oysters in butter by celebrity chefs Janine Booth and Jeff Mcinnis of Root & Bone. Then I discovered the delicious Maine lobster medallions with saffron espuma from The Stone House at Clove Lakes.

Other fabulous seafood dishes, all by female chefs were the shrimp Po’ Boy with aioli by Audrey Villegas of 2 Spring; Montauk scallops with coconut and husk cherries by Laëtitia Rouabah of Untitled at the Whitney; and Nikkei ceviche with sockeye salmon by Mina Newman of Sen Sakana.

A trio of vegetarian dishes also took my breath away: whipped feta with watermelon and pistachio dukkah (Shuka restaurant), corn soup with truffles (North Fork Table & Inn) and cherry tomatoes with corn, avocado, trout roe and dill weed (Corvino Supper). Another crowd pleaser was Tarte Pissaladière, an onion tarte with anchovies by Georgette Farkas of Rotisserie Georgette.

And you wonder how anyone can still have room to sample the suckling pig or lamb on the spit at the afterparty. The technique is to wash it down with refreshing wine. I moved on to the Wölffer Finca Rosé, which winemaker Roman Roth makes in Mendoza, Argentina, which paired perfectly with the pig.

The lively afterparty is always fun because it’s a chance to socialize with the chefs. I also spoke with Clare Reichenbach and asked her thoughts on her first Chefs & Champagne as head of JBF. “It’s extremely gratifying that well over half of the chefs are women,” she said. “We now have active women’s leadership programs which aim to help women advance in the culinary industry.”

What a launch party for the Grand Cordon Rosé by G.H. Mumm, the 140-year-old Champagne house, and its stunning new bottle. The Welsh designer Ross Lovegrove took the Mumm signature red sash and indented it into the bottle and he printed the eagle emblem label directly onto the glass. The party was held at a VIP tent during the rosé fest called Pinknic that takes place annually on Governors Island on the July 4th weekend.

After taking the ferry and trekking the long route to reach the Pinknic venue with its concert stage and multiple food stations, I was so happy to be handed a refreshing flute of Grand Cordon Rosé, an energizing 60% Pinot Noir blend with aromas of strawberry, cherry and caramel and a fresh finish. And during the concerts of Klingnade, Willy Monfret and Hayden James, I continued to sip more of that delicious bubbly until the final flute and a lovely day culminating in fireworks.

In an event called “The Macallan Distillery Experience,” Macallan---the leading Scottish single malt producer since 1824 known for aging its malt in Sherry casks-- brought a taste of their new distillery to New York. A film of the futuristic distillery, costing upward of $186 million dollars, which resembles an undulating wave suspended on slits, was presented in a virtual reality, multisensorial experience.

Small groups were led through series of rooms at the Weylin, an events space in Williamsburg, and in the first chamber were given a taste of Edition No. 4, the just released, newest collectible single malt at 48.4% with sweet toffee, citrus, orange zest and honey flavors and hints of nutmeg and wood spices. Next, we entered a large ballroom and donned earphones to hear the rushing waters of River Spey in north-east Scotland and were brought into a 360- surround theatre where we were encircled by the river and then an aerial view of the new distillery in Speyside. Later, we put on VR headsets for a virtual reality tour of the entire property and heard Master Distillery Nick Savage speak about his various creations while walking us around the distillery.

One of my favorite garden charities is the Longhouse Reserve’s summer gala. It’s always full of innovative contemporary art and surprise performances on the grounds of the 16-acre reserve and sculpture garden in East Hampton. This year’s theme was Brooklyn and honored Brooklyn visual artist Dustin Yellin of Pioneer Works and Joe Melillo, the executive producer of BAM.

The party’s dress code was “shimmer and shine in shades of blue.” The entrance was draped in blue facsimiles of Mexican prayer flags. As one walked the path toward the inner gardens, performers put matches to mysterious looking packets of branches and waved them till the fire was extinguished and let them smoke. This was an olfactory installation called smudge cleansing totems. Acoustic musician played as guests walked along the dunes, dyed in different shades of blue, towards the auction tent which held around 50 pieces, many donated by leading artists like Cindy Sherman, Dale Chihuly and Lynda Benglis.

The cocktail portion of the evening held on the de Kooning lawn had multiple pop-up food displays and The High & Mighty Brass Band played while the guests mingled among the garden’s many art pieces which featured rocket sculptures by Dustin Yellin and more olfactory transformative experiences. It was a cool evening so rather than the usual rosé, I opted for the Bob Dylan Bourbon Bar for some warming cocktails.

The dress code for this year’s Alzheimer’s Association Rita Hayworth Gala Hamptons Kickoff was prairie chic or white, which made for some creative get-ups. Men sported Stetsons and women donned turquoise beaded jewelry. Instead of suede fringed outfits, most women took the safer route with white long dresses accessorized with Western silver jewelry or turquoise bangles.

The rain held off so Anne and Jay McInerney were able to host their event as always outside on the grounds of their spectacular Ashgrove Farm in Water Mill. The emus were no longer there but a few Billy goats appeared in the distance in the enormous, fence-surrounded pasture of the farm.

Bold name guests---Alina Cho, Sharon Bush, Judith Giuliani, Jill Stuart, Candace Bushnell, Nicole Miller and Harry Benson---sipped Whispering Angel rosé, slurped oysters at the raw bar, and studied the offerings of the silent auction until both Anne and Jay McInerney took to the stage to introduce Princess Yasmin Aga Kahn (daughter of Rita Hayworth). Wearing a white dress, bejeweled cowboy hat and an ornate Western belt, she spoke of the Alzheimer's Association’s international conference in Chicago, the world's largest forum for the dementia research, and detailed the latest research. This Hamptons party is a prelude to the Rita Hayworth Gala held on October 23 in Manhattan.

Manhattan has its share of inspiring outdoor summer festivals and I attended one of the most tasty and rosé soaked: A Midsummer Night’s Soirée, the annual block party hosted by Perrine Restaurant at the Pierre Hotel held at 61Street between 5th and Madison Avenue with its lavish spread of food showcasing delicacies from Perrine.

Chateau Miraval Rosé, served out of magnums, fueled this spirited festival. It’s an elegant rosé with wild strawberry notes, a nice minerality and a refreshing dry finish. Chateau Miraval in the village of Correns near Aix-en-Provence is the storied property owned by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The couple purchased the vineyards, olive groves and castle in 2011 for $60 million. The big story when Brad and Angelina separated was what would happen to their successful rosé brand and property. The good news is that despite their divorce, they decided to retain Chateau Miraval and continue the rosé, which they make in partnership with Famille Perrin, a renown French winemaking family. Marc Perrin, who also co-owns Chateau de Beaucastel in the Rhone, runs the Chateau Miraval estate and makes the wine. How coincidental that the Perrin-made wine was served at the Perrine restaurant party (though no relation).

Another famous Chef de Cave, Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, came to town this summer to launch yet another precious vintage of Louis Roederer Cristal at a rooftop venue of the New Museum. It’s always a thrill to see Jean-Baptiste and hear him speak about the characteristics of the new vintage, which had extended aging of 10 years and which he feels is “the greatest achievement in Cristal of the last two decades.” He compared Cristal to a lithe ballerina with “restrained strength and a pervasive purity” who can do an “impossibly graceful leap through the air.” The cuvée is a masterpiece of concentration and opulence while still being buoyant and youthful.

In the world of Champagne, it’s big news when a head winemaker or chef de cave steps down and passes the torch to the next generation. When it’s Dom Pérignon, its earth-shattering. This summer the earthquake occurred when Chef de Cave Richard Geoffroy---after 28 years as DP’s winemaker and renowned for his inspirational, philosophical way of speaking about his vintage creations---yielded the position to Vincent Chaperon, who had worked closely with Geoffroy since 2005. Together, they released the Dom Perignon Brut Vintage 2008 and both their names are on the label.

And you thought all prosecco was equal? Well, it’s not. There is a higher-level prosecco which comes from the best vineyards in an appellation called Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G. It’s a tongue-twisting name so I prefer to refer to it as simply Prosecco Superiore. The D.O.C.G. indicates a higher level over the D.O.C. designation. And indeed the prosecco is more refined in flavor and elegance with finer bubbles.

At a lovely event to showcase Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G held at the Southern Italian restaurant Leuca in Williamsburg---a new restaurant in Andrew Carmellini’s Noho Hospitality Group---representatives from the region were on hand to give a seminar on the prosecco. The region, located about 30 miles from Venice, is spectacularly scenic with rolling hills. It has a cooler microclimate and the Dolomites, which are 60 miles away, have contributed glacial sediment to its unique soils.

The pairing dinner included seven Prosecco Superiore wines from different producers and showed how well this prosecco, with various levels of dosage or sugar content from brut to extra dry, pairs with all different foods from tuna crudo to seafood pasta (black shells, shrimp, calamari and clams in a prosecco sauce) to suckling pig.