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 Millbrook, NY - Millbrook Vineyards & Winery, the Hudson River Valley's premier wine estate, is pleased to announce its 18th Annual Harvest Party, on Saturday, October 11th from 12-4 PM.
The party will feature a wine-paired lunch prepared by renowned chef Peter X. Kelly (Xaviars Restaurant Group), one in a long line of top chefs who have cooked at the popular event over the past two decades. Guests will enjoy the local, seasonal meal outside, at tables under a large tent adjacent to the 30 acres of grapevines that are the centerpiece of the bucolic 130-acre property.
Peter X. Kelly, who recently defeated Bobby Flay on the Food Network's "Iron Chef America," returns to Millbrook for the second time (he cooked at the Harvest Party in 1999). For more than two decades, Chef Kelly has set the standard for fine dining in the Hudson River Valley, operating four critically acclaimed Contemporary American restaurants--Xaviars at Piermont, Restaurant X, X2O (Xaviars on the Hudson), and Freelance Cafe & Wine Bar. He has been profiled in Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, Gourmet, and USA Today, and has appeared numerous times on CBS, NBC, and the Food Network.
The Harvest Party, which costs $135 per person, is so named because it is held during the middle of Millbrook's grape harvest. Attendees will see some of the estate's vines full of plump clusters that are about to be picked, others newly stripped of their grapes (which have been transported to the winery's cellar to be pressed and fermented). In fact, in years past it has not been uncommon for winemaker John Graziano to arrive at the event after a morning spent harvesting a row of vines.
Millbrook has a long tradition of having notable chefs prepare the meal for the Harvest Party, including Charlie Palmer (Aureole), Marcus Samuelsson (Aquavit), and Michael Romano (Union Square Cafe). Chef Kelly's 2008 Harvest Party lunch menu will be as follows:
Wine & Cheese Reception
Hudson Valley Cheeses, Grapes, Bread
2007 Millbrook Unoaked Chardonnay
2007 Millbrook Hunt Country Rose
2007 Millbrook Hunt Country Red
First Course
Parfait of Black Dirt Onion Panna Cotta with Double Smoked Bacon
spicy shrimp, local apple foam, crispy rice noodles, and tiny greens
2007 Millbrook Tocai Friulano
Second Course
Hudson Valley Northern Pike Wrapped in Zucchini
Thai basil, coriander, Yukon Gold mousseline, and Chardonnay butter
2007 Millbrook Chardonnay "Proprietor's Special Reserve"
2006 Pinot Noir
Third Course
Tournedos of Beef with Sauce Choron
creamy wild mushroom spaetzle, roasted turnips, and organic carrots
2006 Millbrook Cabernet France "Proprietor's Special Reserve"
Fourth Course
Timbale of White and Dark Chocolate
soft caramel center, creme anglaise, petit pain, sweet butter
Coffee
Millbrook Vineyards & Winery (www.millbrookwine.com), founded in 1985, was the first vineyard in the Hudson River Region of New York dedicated exclusively to the production of vinifera grapes. Millbrook's 30 acres of vines, first planted by owner John Dyson in 1983, include Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, and Tocai Friulano grapes. The winery produces 10,000 cases of wine per year, and its wines have received accolades from Wine Spectator, The New York Times, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Hugh Johnson's Pocket Encyclopedia of Wine, and Bon Appetit.
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