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Lake Tahoe Autumn Food and Wine Festival a sumptuous event

Staff report
The Jake's at the Lake Crew and Handley Cellars took bronze for food and wine pairing at the 2013 Autumn Food and Wine Festival.
Photos by Amy Edgett / Sierra Sun |

TAHOE/TRUCKEE, Calif. — After a week of festivities, from a grape stomp to farm-to-table dinners, the 28th annual Lake Tahoe Autumn Food and Wine Festival ended Sunday, Sept. 8, with the much-anticipated Grand Finale at the Village at Northstar.

The Sunday Culinary Competition and Grand Tasting featured more than 30 restaurants, wineries, brewers and distillers from across the region, resulting in more than 90 wines poured and an assortment of food dishes as diverse as octopus soppressatta, rabbit and wild boar roulade and elk patty melts.

Grand Tasting participants were subjected to two different competitions, both a formal blind judging from official festival judges, as well as people’s choice awards determined by festival attendees. Find following a complete list of winners.



BLIND JUDGES’ AWARDS



Best Marriage of Food and Wine

Gold: Village Pizzeria (Meatballs Marinara/Kenwood ’10 Zinfandel)

Silver: Moody’s Bistro (Rabbit and Wild Boar Roulade/Paul Hobbs ’11 Pinot Noir)

Bronze: Jake’s on the Lake (Duck and Mushroom Tart/Handley Cellars ’09 Pinot Noir)

BEST PAIRING FOOD AND BEVERAGE

Gold: North Lake Tahoe Catering Gazpacho/Charbay

BEST WHITE WINE

Gold: Cristo di Campobello 2012 Grillo, Chard Insolia & Catarotto (Favorotta)

Silver: Long Meadow Ranch 2011 Sauvignon Blanc (Rutherford, Calif.)

BEST RED WINE

Gold: Orin Swift “Abstract” 2011 Red Blend (California)

Silver: Paul Hobbs 2011 Crossbarn Pinot Noir (Sonoma County)

Bronze: Handley Cellars 2009 Pinot Noir (Anderson Valley)

BEST FOOD

Gold: Village Pizzeria (Meatballs Marinara)

Silver: Moody’s Bistro (Rabbit and Wild Boar Roulade)

Bronze: PJ’s at Grey Crossing (Roasted Beef Canape)

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS

Best Pairing: Northstar California/Stanger Vineyards

Best Food: Northstar California

Best White Wine: Frank Family Vineyards

Best Red Wine: Stanger Vineyards

Best Other than Wine: Charbay Winery & Distillery

Best Table Presentation: North Tahoe Catering/Charbay Winery & Distillery

BLAZING PANS MOUNTAIN CHEF COOK-OFF

In addition to Sunday’s competition, Saturday also hosted a competitive event between two top chefs in the region. The Blazing Pans Mountain Chef Cook-Off featured 2012 Blazing Pans Champion Elsa Corrigan, chef/owner of Squaw Valley’s Mamasake, knife-to-knife with Mark Estee, chef/owner of Campo Reno. After an hour-plus long battle using goat as the secret ingredient, Mark Estee emerged victorious as the 2013 Blazing Pans Mountain Chef Cook-Off Champion.

More than 2,000 wine and food aficionados attended the three days of Autumn Food and Wine events at Northstar, and several hundred more participated in various activities throughout the week.

For a Facebook photo gallery click here. Visit http://www.gotahoenorth.com/events/autumn-food-and-wine-festival for information about this years’ events.

ABOUT NORTH LAKE TAHOE

For more information about North Lake Tahoe, visit GoTahoeNorth.com. For the best bargains, including lodging, check out the “Cool Deals,” tab, which is updated daily. North Lake Tahoe is a 45-minute drive from the Reno Tahoe International Airport, two hours from Sacramento International Airport and just more than three hours from San Francisco International Airport. Visitor information centers are located at 100 North Lake Blvd. in Tahoe City and 969 Tahoe Blvd. in Incline Village.


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