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NVLife_MayJune_2014

MAY / J U N E 2 0 1 4 25 the vision of the legacy of the opera house. It’s a beautiful room that should be used to promote culture in a robust way. To me it was an honor to take this 130-year-old historic building that was the first cultural institution in Napa Valley, pre the development of the real wine industry as we know it, with Robert Mondavi’s name tied to it, and turn it into a viable venue.” City Winery Napa is now a tenant of the Napa Valley Opera House, and will continue to promote seventy community shows per year. Dorf is also offering seven non-profits the opportunity to use the City Winery Napa as a fundraising venue at no charge, a $35,000 donation to each of the organizations for the first year. After making his first barrel of wine in California many years ago with his brother Josh and wine maker David Tate, Dorf caught the bug. “For a long time I'd been enjoying wine as a fan—drinking it, taking classes, attending wine dinners—but it was not until I actually started participating in the process of working with the grape, turning it into wine, putting it into a bottle, and watching it develop over time, that I really started to understand wine. And when I would give my friends a bottle of wine with my name on it, most would respond by saying, ‘I wanna do that too!’” It was this experience that led Dorf to conceptualize and start working on the City Winery business plan in 2006. “We are calibrating that concept to Napa. Napa no longer feels like a small provincial community,” said Dorf. “It’s small, but cosmopolitan. Music is coming into its own. I like what they are doing with the Uptown and Silo’s. There are five million-plus tourists a year who come to Napa, and that is the audience we want to reach. I have been coming to Napa as a wine buyer for six years and as a tourist for many years before that. I have seen the changes in downtown Napa. There is more activity now, and I’m encouraged by all the new restaurants that have opened.” City Winery Napa’s chef, Joe Panarello, has led the kitchens in several of the country’s leading hotels and restaurants, including The Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton, implementing seasonal menus with creative California flare. Panarello most recently hails from the award-winning Rivera in downtown Los Angeles, where he was chef de cuisine under celebrity chef John Sedlar. While at Rivera, Panarello delved deeply into the history and cultural significance of regional cuisine, which greatly enhanced his development as a chef, and appeared on an episode of “Iron Chef America.” His cooking techniques are a mix of modern and classical. One change at the Napa location is that City Winery will not be making wine on-premise as they do at their other urban locations, because they don’t have wineries in the vicinity to pull from. Much of their wine that is made is from grapes bought in the four California AVAs of Napa, Lake, Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. “Now we can market and promote local partners that want to participate in our tap wine program and turn them into rock stars,” said Dorf. “We will feature 35 Cabernets from 30 local wineries, plus five of our own. We have bunch of big name labels and a bunch of unknown wine makers as well.” Dorf ’s concept wine sales will be environmental friendly as well. They are buying by the barrel. Instead of the wine being bottled for sale, Dorf and company are putting wine into kegs that will be tapped. “It’s a unique way to get wine by the glass,” said Dorf. “It helps keep the wine fresh and it’s a more efficient way to go. We have also taken the barrelhead and put it on the wall to give a world setting. We developed this concept in New York, it became popular and sales started going through the roof. Riedel is the official and exclusive provider of glassware, showing City Winery’s commitment to enjoying quality wine in a quality vessel.” “City Winery Napa gives a three-hour window to our guests that is hopefully a powerful moment they will always remember,” said Dorf. “You can have that experience with music, food and wine, but to get all three at the same time, I think Napa is the place to do that.” Incredible wine and food aren’t the only things that City Winery Napa will be focusing on. “Music is integral to our brand, and not just because I’ve been a promoter for twenty-five years of my life, but because there is a deep-rooted connection between the music maker and the wine maker, the wine fan and music fan. Both music and wine appeal to a sophisticated customer. Music fans also love the rock stars of the wine world,” said Dorf. For a complete listing of shows go to www.citywinery.com. All City Winery at the Napa Valley Opera House events are open to all ages and start at 8 pm, unless noted. LOCAL LOVE: City Winery Napa announces its “We Love Locals Programs” with benefits that range from huge discounts on food and beverages to free shuttle rides. With the program, Napa residents may receive the following benefits: 50% off lunch in May, then 25% starting in June; 15% off any bottle of wine on list with proof of concert ticket purchase; for every four box office purchases, receive a free concert ticket. Residents need only show a photo ID with a Napa County address or a piece of mail with name and local address to prove residency. VINOFILE™: Become a member of City Winery Napa’s signature VinoFile™ program now. For more information on the wide range of benefits of VinoFile™ membership, please call 707-260-1600 or visit www.citywinery.com. Lewis Black June 10, 11, 12 Dave Grisham July 13 Tristan Prettyman June 6


NVLife_MayJune_2014
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