1 minute read
A Perfect Pairing
from Nfocus April 2023
Pairings makes a beautiful blend between Music City and California Wine Country
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What began 11 years ago as a new event for Nashville Wine Auction has blossomed into a much-anticipated, must-attend event. Pairings lives up to its moniker by pairing renowned chefs — both local and national — with top winemakers from around the world. The weekendlong series of events began on Thursday with vintner dinners in private homes, followed by Wined Up! on Friday night. Saturday’s Pairings concludes the weekend with a silent and live auction as well as a tremendous dinner prepared by this year’s participating chefs.
Husband and wife co-chairs Dana Stoller and John Navin masterfully executed the theme of Where the Stars Align: Nashville Chefs Meet West Coast Wines. Some of Nashville’s most notable chefs — this year featuring Joe Townsend, Andrew Whitney, Kevin Ramquist and Alyssa Gangeri — worked with Loews Hotel chef Sean Strolle, each contributing a course to dinner. In addition to the excellent dishes like the buttery scallop or savory lamb burrito, California winemakers journeyed to Music City to offer their prime pairings for the evening. The dinner wines were from Domaine Carneros, CIRQ, Cornell Vineyards, Pahlmeyer and Spire Collection. Throughout dinner, guests had the opportunity to bid on fantastic items, wonderful collections of wine and dream travel destinations.
The most poignant moment of the evening came when the auctioneer, Charles Antin, shared the story of his journey with chronic myeloid leukemia. At the time of his diagnosis, there were few treatment options available. As he has battled leukemia, more treatments have become available, and he was able to be in the room with us for Pairings as a direct result of money raised by Nashville Wine Auction and organizations who similarly fund research to fight the disease. After Charles spoke, the room came alive with bidding for the “Raise the Paddle” portion of the evening, ultimately raising over $845,000 to help fight cancer.
BY JANET KURTZ PHOTOGRAPHS BY ERIC ENGLAND
