When it rains it pours, and this month Maui is inundated with wine events and dinners.
For starters, I'o Wine Club will present Signs & Wines, "where food and wine meet astrology," from 8 to 10 p.m. Friday at 505 Front St., Lahaina.
An airbrush tattoo artist will paint signs on you at the door (if you like); wines range from Aries pinot noir to Valley of the Moon chardonnay. Gourmet pupu is part of the fun. Cost is $35. Call 661-8422.
Article Photos
Violet Grgich of Grgich Hills Cellars in Napa Valley will appear Sunday, Oct. 23 at Tropica at the Westin Maui Resort & Spa in Kaanapali.
Photo courtesy of Johnson Brothers
Grand Wailea will present a five-course Caymus wine dinner as part of its monthly Toast! series on Friday, starting at 5:30 p.m. in Humuhumunukunukuapua'a.
Join Phyllis Nishimoto, Kobrand wine and spirits representative for the feast created by Chef de Cuisine Isaac Bancaco. Begin with hamachi sashimi with king crab kung pao and Kula leeks, then enjoy tempura king crab and hamachi kama, rack of lamb, Chinese-style beef cheek and chocolate-buttermilk panna cotta with macerated berries.
Cost is $125 per person, plus tax and tip, and a portion of the proceeds benefits the Maui Visitor Industry Charity Walk. For reservations, call 875-1234.
Longhi's Wailea will pour French wines at a five-course dinner at 7 p.m. Friday with roasted quail and more that benefits Maui Culinary Academy. Cost is $100 per person, plus tax and tip. Call 891-8883.
Violet Grgich, of Grgich Hills Estate, will be on hand for a vintner dinner in Tropica Restaurant at the Westin Maui Resort & Spa Oct. 23. Violet is the vice president of sales and marketing as well as proprietor of the winery started by her father, Vintner Hall of Famer Miljenko "Mike" Grgich. For more details, call 667-2525.
Gerard's at the Plantation Inn in Lahaina will present a Burgundy Wine Dinner at 6 p.m. Oct. 25, featuring selections of Michel Picard, one of the largest landholders in that French region.
"Picard owns at least five distinct historical estates in Burgundy, including the Chateau de Chassagne-Montrachet that serves as company headquarters," says Roger Ross of Johnson Brothers of Hawaii wine distributors.
Menu highlights are quail pate in puff pastry, scallop mousseline with Markea prawn, filet of beef with marrow and red wine, and poached pear with port wine and spices. It's $75 per person, plus tax and tip. Call 661-8939.
Last but certainly not least, the Four Seasons Resort Maui in Wailea will host the Domaine Carneros by Taittinger wine dinner Oct. 29 under a canopy of stars on its oceanfront lawn.
The acclaimed signature vintage of the Blanc des Blancs tete de cuvee Le Reve has a 95 rating. The reception starts at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m. Highlights include Kona lobster tail atop fava beans, leeks and lobster essence; oysters Bonneville and Burgundy snail en croute; and smoked duck breast an chestnut bundles.
It doesn't stop there. Savor champagne braised veal tenderloin, and a buffet of gourmet cheeses and desserts baked in house by the pastry chef.
Cost of $195 includes tax and gratuity. You may call the Four Seasons concierge at 874-2201.
