A fine time for wine

Alicia Robinson

Local wine lovers can learn how to pair the right cheeses and wines,

enjoy fine cuisine or make their own blends from several types of

wine, when the Newport Beach Food and Wine Festival returns to the

Balboa Bay Club Thursday through Sunday.

The club has held the event in the past, but it was on hiatus for

several years, while the facilities were being renovated so the club

could open to the public in 2003, said Balboa Bay Club spokeswoman

Maggie Feldman.

Highlights of the event include seminars about choosing the

correct glass for different wine types and making blends of Napa

Valley wines, a tasting with wines from more than 50 international

wineries, and an outdoor event featuring Spanish food, wines and

flamenco dancers. Proceeds from the festival will go to the

Jean-Louis Palladin Foundation, which supports the education and

well-being of chefs and food professionals, and the Balboa Bay Club’s

1221 Club scholarship fund for Newport-Mesa high school students.

While some of the festival events are intimate and seat only about

40 people, up to 500 can attend the “grand tasting” on Saturday.

Feldman said tickets already are selling well, and a good turnout is

expected.

“In Orange County, there are a great number of food and wine

lovers, and we wanted to bring them a who’s who [of wine] and a best

of the best in the culinary world here in Newport Beach and gather

them all in one place at one time,” she said.

Many of the wines to be offered are made in California, but the

wines of Spain will be on display for the outdoor tasting on the lawn

and the beach Friday. Madrid native Julian Serrano, renowned chef at

the Bellagio in Las Vegas, will cook paella on a stage in a 3-foot

pan.

“With somebody of that caliber, it’s a really neat thing to have,

and it really showcases Newport because it’s on the water,” Feldman

said.

Seasoned wine connoisseurs and those who just enjoy a glass now

and then can find things to interest them at the festival, she said.

Those who don’t know a Merlot from a Malbec can try a

Saturday-morning seminar with winemaker Jeff McBride of Conn Creek

Winery in Napa Valley. McBride will bring five varieties of wines

that are “raw” -- they’re straight from the barrel and haven’t aged

long enough to be bottled -- and will guide participants through

mixing their own special wine blend to take home.

“Part of Conn Creek’s philosophy is that it’s very important for

people to appreciate wine to have that tactile experience,” McBride

said. “I think a lot of times people get a lot of verbiage in front

of them, and when you’re talking about something that involves the

senses, it’s not the same. You can talk about music, but when you

finally hear a symphony, you get it.”

Wine blending courses are offered at the Conn Creek vineyards, but

this is the first time McBride has taken his show on the road.

For more information or to purchase tickets for the Newport Beach

Food and Wine Festival, call (949) 630-4146.