Virtual Mardi Gras Wine Tasting Fundraiser
Saturday, February 6, 2021, 6:30 p.m.–8 p.m., $120 per household
Let the good times roll . . . laissez les bon temps rouler!
Please join the Art Alliance of the Riverside Art Museum in indulging in a fun evening to celebrate Mardi Gras (virtually, via Zoom) with a guided wine tasting, a cooking demo of classic N'awlins food, and some art, music, and history of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Chris Kern of Forgotten Grapes is our sommelier and he will feature the wines and the winemaker of Shadow Run Vineyards in Paso Robles. Our cooking demo is courtesy of Chef Maree Reed (Chez Rae Chef) who hails from New Orleans.
Join us on Saturday, February 6, starting at 6:30 p.m. Polish your wine glasses and enjoy two bottles of wine (a red and a white that you can't buy in our local stores, safely delivered to you from Shadow Run) along with a swag bag of New Orleans Mardi Gras lagniappe (a little something extra), recipes, and more. At $120 per household, you can enjoy a great evening and support the Riverside Art Museum!
Deadline to register in time to receive the wine, etc., in time for the Zoom event is Monday, January 25, 2021. We can ship to the contiguous United States. Additional shipping charges may apply to non-Western states after registering.
For more information or if you have any questions, please contact: Kathy Bocian at kathleen.bocian@gmail.com
Chris Kern, Forgotten Grapes
Chris Kern will be our MC and sommelier for our Mardi Gras evening. Many Riversiders fondly remember Chris’s Forgotten Grapes wine shop here in Riverside and since he moved to Paso Robles, he’s launched a private wine club exclusively here in the Inland Empire. Most recently, he provided our ‘Off the Wall Banger’ cocktail demonstration at the Riverside Art Museum’s virtual Off the Wall event in the fall of 2020.
Chris Kern is an award-winning wine writer, podcaster, sommelier, wine educator and entrepreneur and is known as “America’s Uncommon Wine Expert”. For 15 years Kern has done nearly everything there is to do in the wine industry: he founded a wine travel company, operated both online and retail wine shops, launched his own wine distribution company, created private wine clubs, and served as General Manager of the 7th best winery in the U.S. as determined by USA Today. Chris is the co-founder and co-host of “One Bourbon, One Chard, or One Beer,” the world’s first musical drinking gameshow podcast. His wine writing has been featured in countless newspapers and magazines, and he’s showcased his wine knowledge on over a dozen local television and radio programs. You can learn more about him and his wine club at www.forgottengrapes.com.
Shadow Run Vineyards
We make magic here. . . . . Actually, we observe the magic that nature brings every Spring when we see bud break in the vineyard and celebrate the beginning of a new growing season, a season of possibilities for the vines and the wine. This is my favorite time in the vineyard, the beginning of
“possibilities.” What will the season bring? The vineyard will always be my first love, a sanctuary of peaceful green. I am happiest when I am walking the vine rows, observing changes in the leaves, noting bug and bird life, watching the tiny berries grow, swell and ripen into sweet grapes.
I have said there is magic in the vines, but there is also magic in the wine and I love observing, gently guiding the process from simple sweet juice to a deeply complex wine. The grape juice from the vineyard becomes a live potion, morphing as the host yeast consume the sugars and create alcohol. Nurturing the vines is a blend of science and art, new discoveries and time honored skills. Guiding the grapes from juice to wine is also a blend of chemistry, science and art. Knowing both sides of the house adds to the winemaker’s skill as each vintage throws new opportunities.
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Chéz Rae, Chef
Chéz Rae is a Creole inspired chef who discovered her love for cooking at a very early age. Coming from her grandmothers, her Southern roots allow her to create some of the most delicious and flavorful meals ever! She cooks with passion and soul. She studied Culinary Arts at Long Beach City College. Currently, Chéz Rae is a personal chef and caterer. She has had the opportunity to cook for professional athletes, entertainers and families across the nation. Her motto is; “From my heart, to your plate...” because she knows with every bite, you’ll feel the love.