18th Annual Taste of Yountville Piques Palates with Town-Wide Food/Wine Tasting, New 'Art, Sip & Savor' Trolley Tour, Chef Demos & Artists' Open House

Top Toques Turn Up the Heat in This Six-Star Michelin Town -

YOUNTVILLE, Calif., Jan. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- It's a block party of unparalleled pairings - from Michelin-starred restaurants to cult cabernet producers – sharing the spotlight at the 18th Annual Taste of Yountville, Saturday, March 19, 2011.  This gourmet gallop puts foodies on the fast track to the town's 12 renowned restaurants and 20+ local wineries.  Set for 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the event is free; tasting tickets are $1.00 each. Info: www.yountville.com.

New to the 2011 Taste of Yountville lineup are a variety of swirling opportunities, chef demonstrations, art tours and St. Patrick's Day celebrations to round out a visit to Napa Valley's top culinary crushpad.

Thursday, March 17

Hurley's Restaurant & Bar celebrates the season with a true-to-form St. Patrick's Day menu showcasing house-brined corned beef and cabbage, Irish lamb stew, Dublin crab cakes, horseradish-crusted trout with cockles and mussels and Irish whiskey cake with treacle – among the offerings – on a Gaelic menu with English translation. Requisite brews and whiskeys are also on tap. Served all day, reservations recommended: 707.944.2345.  

Emmy-winning television personality and cookbook author Michael Chiarello dons his chef whites for a special NapaStyle cooking demonstration and book signing. The 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m., event at V Marketplace is $25.00 per person, reservations required: 707.945.1229.

Friday, March 18

Commemorating a sexy new line-up of 30 public art installations, the new "Art, Sip & Savor" self-guided trolley tour debuts March 18th from 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., throughout town (free).  Visitors can jump on and off the free trolley savoring art and complimentary wine tasting at several participating wine tasting venues including Domaine Chandon, Somerston Wine Co., Hill Family Estate, Cornerstone Cellars,  V Wine Cellar, Jessup Cellars and Girard Winery.  Free "Art, Sip & Savor" maps are available at Yountville Visitor Center, connecting the dots to the tasting rooms and Yountville's Art Walk sculpture collection, including Gordon Huether's "Silver Twist," Rich Botto's "Mushroom Garden," Jack Chandler's "Rex" and Rich Botto's "Rock Flowers." www.yountville.com.

Saturday, March 19

Set along walk-friendly Washington Street, the 18th Annual Taste of Yountville kicks things up a notch with a gourmet gallop of such culinary icons as Thomas Keller's Bouchon, Redd, etoile at Domaine Chandon, Brix, Bottega, Bistro Jeanty, Hurley's Restaurant & Bar, Mustards Grill, Cantinetta Piero, Bardessono, Pacific Blues and NapaStyle Paninoteca. A special garden tour of the French Laundry’s two-acre culinary masterpiece by culinary gardener Tucker Taylor is also available (check listings). Visitors can also tap into the one day Passport, which features trips and giveaways at day’s end.

Wines from the Yountville appellation will flow along with an arts and crafts exhibit, live entertainment and a ribs-and-links barbeque sponsored by the Yountville Fire Department. Key participants include Domaine Chandon, Jessup Cellars, Bell Wine Cellars, Cliff Lede Vineyards, Goosecross Cellars, Hopper Creek Winery, Girard Winery and Somerston Wine Company, among others. Markstein Beverage Company will belly up with beer. Key sponsors of the event include AM 1440 KVON, 99.3 THE VINE, V Marketplace 1870 and Bardessono.

Art is at the forefront with a new "Napa Valley Open Studio Artists at Taste of Yountville" show and sale, set for Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday March 18-20 at the Community Center on Washington Street. Sponsored by Yountville Arts, the works of dozens of Yountville and Napa Valley artists will be on display Friday 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.  Artists Reception & Collector Sneak Preview ($20). Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., free. www.yountville.com.

Sponsored by the Yountville Chamber of Commerce, the Taste of Yountville is a prime time to cash in on the town's off-season hospitality, including 20 percent savings on hotel packages. Work off those worldly pleasures with a leisurely bike tour through the vineyards, stint at the spa or morning hot air balloon ride. Packages available at http://www.yountville.com/business/accommodations/.

Visitor Information

Site of Napa Valley's first planted vines (1838), Yountville sits at the epicenter of the region's culinary scene sporting the Valley's top-ranked restaurants (six Michelin stars), 24+ wineries and/or producers and 11 lodging properties. An ideal base for the avid oenophile, Yountville offers the county's only hot air ballooning launch, five National Register of Historic Places sites, a microclimate pedigree with its own AVA, world-class shopping and performing arts. Located 55 mi./88 km. north of San Francisco, travelers can arrive via scenic Highway 29 or via Napa County Airport, Sacramento (SMF), Oakland (OAK) or San Francisco (SFO) international airports. For more information and travel inquiries, contact the Yountville Chamber of Commerce at 707.944.0904 or www.yountville.com.

SOURCE Yountville Chamber of Commerce