The Crows Nest

Enjoy sweeping balcony views of the Harbor in a private VIP lounge setting, upstairs at the Nantucket Yacht Club. Step away for a breather from the Grand Tasting downstairs with delicious high quality imported gourmet products provided by igourmet.com, America’s leading online gourmet food and gift retailer, and a selection of fine wines and champagne. Tickets are available for $50 to anyone holding a ticket to a Grand Tasting session.  Saturday and Sunday, May 16 and 17, 2008, 12noon-2pm, and 3pm-5pm at the Nantucket Yacht Club.

A Culinary Oasis!
Inside the Grand Tasting tent, consumers will taste great wines while sampling an even greater selection of Nantucket's finest food offerings, which will include the Company of the Cauldron's warm vine-smoked salmon, artisan breads from Nantucket Daily Breads, chowder from E.J. Harvey's Nantucket Chowder Company, delicious butters from Nantucket Butter Company, a sampling of gourmet smoked items from Summer 'N Smoke, whose local products are featured at high-end retailers and caterers, an assortment of sweet and savory baked goods from Blue Water Bakery, old-world quality cuisine from Pi Pizza of Nantucket, signature items from The Boarding House, and fresh shellfish from the East Coast Shellfish Growers Association.  You'll also find delicious products from off-island producers:  impeccable Alaska seafood from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, Aria olive oil from Aralia Olive Oils, caviar and blini from La Petite Pearle, artisanal food and cheeses from rising stars Matt and Kate Jennings, of Farmstead in Providence, the cuisine of Tom Berry of Temple Bar, an array of specialty foods, cheeses (such as Coombe Farm, Grana Padano, Alta Langa, Beemster, Van Dyke, and Capra), and oils (such as Olio Carli from Liguria) from iGourmet, hand-crafted cheeses and butters from Vermont Butter & Cheese Co., artisan cheeses from Grafton Village Cheese, the regional food stylings of restaurant Ten Center Street in Newburyport, delicious samples from Jason Merrill of The Hanover Inn, wine and food synergy from Bin 26 in Boston, the exquisite traditional meat products of new England's oldest artisanal butchery, Savenor's Market, and Effie's Homemade oatcakes--"a biscuit for tea, a cracker with cheese, a cookie for a light and tasty snack".

Our philosophy is to emphasize the important marriage of food and wine.  THE PRESENCE OF THESE TREMENDOUS FOOD PURVEYORS AND GREAT RESTAURANTS, IN TANDEM WITH OUR ELITE CORPS OF WINEMAKERS, MEANS THAT A VISIT TO THE GRAND TASTING IS THE EQUIVALENT OF A WORLD-CLASS LUNCH AND WELL WORTH THE PRICE OF ADMISSION!

Throughout the Grand Tastings, there will be hourly cooking demonstrations at our Viking demonstration kitchen. Great chefs from Nantucket and off-island will demonstrate their skills by preparing a dish from start to finish, answering questions and utilizing secret kitchen techniques.

Food authors will hold book-signings at various times throughout the Grand Tasting, and the Dane Gallery will display their beautifully-crafted wine glasses and decanters. Nantucket Cutting Boards will show their unique Nantucket-motif cutting boards. Bottega del Vino will show their simple, elegant line of hand blown, lead free crystal wine glasses and decanters. Sara Boyce of The Brigham Galleries will present a selection of the gallery's works. Meet artisans, winemakers, chefs, raconteurs, food mavens, and Islanders of every stripe in the gustatory haven that is Nantucket.

There will be an exhibition of new works by internationally-known Nantucket artist Kerry Hallam.

We do not guarantee availability at any time --tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

"Le vin est la table ce que la fleur est au jardin, le soleil au verger et l'amour au coeur des pauvres hommes; il parfume, il panouit, il exalte. C'est pourquoi il faut le boire avec tendresse, avec respect et avec gratitude." Berjanette, Ecrivain Gastronome

Saturday
12:00 pm				Matt Jennings Farmstead Matt is Executive Chef, Master Cheesemonger, and Co-Owner of Farmstead & La Laiterie, with his wife, Kate. In 2003, Matt and Kate opened Farmstead, and it has been recognized by consumer and industry alike as one of America’s most dynamic artisan cheeseshops. Farmstead has been featured in Food & Wine Magazine, House & Garden Magazine, and Travel & Leisure. The company was inducted into the prestigious Saveur 100 in 2007. In May of 2006, Farmstead added the adjacent New American Bistro--La Laiterie at Farmstead, which was selected by Bon Appetit Magazine as one of their favorite small restaurants in 2007.
1:00 pm				Harley Smith Ten Center Executive Chef Harley Smith has been honing his culinary skills at Newburyports acclaimed 10 Center Restaurant and Pub for the past five years. A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu and a 15 year industry veteran, Chef Smiths menus masterfully blend distinctive tastes from the Mediterranean, Japan and beyond.
3:00 pm				Corey Heyer The Bernards Inn Corey Heyer is Executive Chef of The Bernards Inn. Although he realized his passion for cooking and fine cuisine at a relatively young age, his future became clear when he decided at age 19 to dedicate himself and his work to becoming a chef. After spending a year learning the basics of the culinary world at Mistral's in Manchester, Vermont, Corey returned to New Jersey to accept a position at the Bluffs in his hometown of Bay Head. He was quickly promoted to the position of Sous Chef, and he then decided it was time to enroll at the Culinary Institute of America.
4:00 pm				Kevin Williamson Ranch 616 Kevin Williamson is the chef/proprietor of Ranch 616 in Austin, Texas, where he combines the flavors of the Gulf Coast with the spices of the border towns of Texas. He is a spokesperson and chef for The Texas Beef Council, as well as the Texas Department of Agriculture's chef promoting the bounty of Texas's Gulf oysters and Texas shrimp. His travels have recently taken him to California for the National Pork Board meeting and this summer, Williamson will host his annual Allen Brothers Texas Outlaw Lucky Sevens Party during the Aspen Food and Wine Classic.
Sunday
Noon				Andrew Sloan Bin 26 Chef Andrew Sloan has been with Bin 26 Enoteca since it opened in 2006.  As Chef de Cuisine, he assists Chef/Owner Azita Bina-Seibel in presenting acclaimed fresh culinary delights that accompany Bin 26's well-presented wine menu. Andrew has been part of many great restaurants such as T. Cook’s at the Royal Palms in Phoenix, Cappy's Restaurant in San Antonio, and Louie’s 106 in Austin.  He is a graduate of The Art Institute of Phoenix for Culinary Arts.
1:00 pm				Tim Quinn The Seamen’s Inn Nantucket veteran Tim Quinn, who started his career at 21 Federal on Nantucket, has moved successfully to Berkeley, California, and, after a series of triumphs, including the Zagat-rated Sherlock 221 in Old Lyme, will be settling down this summer to work his magic at The Seamen's Inn in Mystic. Tim is a trusted member of the Nantucket Wine Festival culinary team.
3:00 pm				Tom Berry Temple Bar As Ming Tsai's right-hand man for over five years, Tom Berry has traveled the globe working with the top names in the restaurant industry. Following stints as Executive Chef at Bambara and Nantucket's Straight Wharf, Tom took over the kitchen at Cambridge's Temple Bar, leading the trend of fine dining chefs who are presenting chef-driven food in a more casual neighborhood environment.
4:00 pm				E.J. Harvey Sea Grille EJ Harvey has been a chef on Nantucket for 25 years. He is an alumnus of the Culinary Institute of America (class of 75) and has had continental and traditional training. In 1992, EJ and his wife Robin opened The Seagrille Restaurant. Over the past 15 years, The Seagrille has earned a reputation as one of the island's finest restaurants, consistently offering outstanding cuisine and warm hospitality.

Participating Wineries

Alasia Alex Gambal Alexander Valley Vineyards Allan Scott Allegrini Altesino Angove's Archery Summit Argiolas Arns Winery Arrowood Vineyards Baldacci Family Vineyards Barbour Vineyards Barefoot Wine Belle Pente Beringer Estates Bernard Magrez Grands Vignobles Bivio Italia Bodega Cantena Zapata Bodega Familia Barberis Boekenhoutskloof Bogle Vineyards Bouchard Pere & Fils Bradford Mountain Winery Brancott Bridlewood Winery Bruno Giocosa Calera Wine Company Capiaux Cellars Joseph Carr Casa Lapostolle Castello di Querceto Castello Romitorio Champagne Heidsieck Monopole Champagne Henriot Champagne Perrier-Jouet Champagne Veuve Cliquot Charles Krug Winery Chateau le Puy Chateau St. Jean Chimney Rock Ciabot Barton Cims de Porrera Cliff Lede Vineyards Clos du Val Cono Sur Conviviale Coturri Winery Dancing Bear Cellars Dolce Wine Domaine Comte Senard Domaine Jean-Claude Rateau Domaine Maratray-Dubreuil Domaine Select Wine Estates Dona Paula C. Donatiello Winery Edmund St. John Elderton Elyse Winery Erbaluna Falesco Far Niente Feudo Arancio Fine Estates from Spain FireBlock Fisher Vineyards Flowers Vineyards & Wines Folie a Deux Four Vines Winery Francis Ford Coppola Presents Freeman Winery Goats Do Roam Green Point Hall Wines Hangtime Havens Wine Cellars Healdsburg Ranches Henschke Family Winery Hess Collection Winery Hewitson Hill of Content Hook & Ladder Winery Ilsley Vineyards I'M Inman Family Wines Italian Wine Merchants

J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines Jack Larkin Wines Jean Bousquet Jim Barry Wines Jordan Vineyard & Winery Kendall-Jackson Winery Larkin Wines Laurenz V Limerick Lane Cellars Livio Feluga Luigi Righetti Maculan Maison Joseph Drouhin Marchesi de' Frescobaldi Marques de Caceres Louis Martini Winery Masciarelli Merriam Vineyards Mezzacorona Michel-Schlumberger Moet & Chandon Montesquieu Montevina Morgan Winery Murrieta's Well Napa Cellars Newton Nickel & Nickel Oberon The Old Faithful O'Shaughnessy Estate Winery Peay Vineyards Penfolds Perrin Domaines Peter Lehmann Wines Petrussa Picket Fence Winery Pike's Pine Ridge Winery Poggio al Tesoro Porta Di Vertine Red Truck Winery Robert Kacher Selections Robert Sinskey Vineyards Rodney Strong Vineyards Rombauer Vineyards Rosemount Estates Rosenblum Cellars Rotari Rowland Cellars Rudd Winery and Vineyards San Polo Brunello Santa Carolina Selections Shafer Vineyards Silverado Vineyards Spier Wines Stags' Leap Winery Steele Wines Steltzner Vineyards Tamas Estates Tasca d'Almerita 'Regaleali' Taylor Family Vineyards Teatown Cellars Testarossa The Show Tir Na Nog Tolley Tramin Treana Winery Trinchero Valle de la Puerta Villa Maria Villa Sandi Vinoptima Warre's Porto Wente Vineyards Whitehaven Vineyards William Fevre Chablis The Wishing Tree Yalumba Winery