Sweetzer Cellars Wine Dinner
Join winemaker Michael Fogelman (MFA Columbia ’87, BA Penn ’81) for an evening of exceptional wine, food, and fellowship.
Wines:
Santa Maria Valley Chardonnay 2014
Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir 2014
Rita’s Crown Pinot Noir 2014
Paso Robles Syrah 2013
Chef Danny of the Penn Club of New York will pair an exquisite menu complimenting each wine offered.
Menu:
Chilled Maine Lobster with White and Green Asparagus Tarragon Remoulade
Seared Long Island Duck Breast with Le Puy Lentils & Chanterelle Mushrooms Blood Orange and Dried Cherry Sauce
Red Wine and Thyme Braised Short Ribs with Glazed Baby Carrots White Cheddar Grits
Camembert and Stilton Cheese Dried Fruit Compote, Raisin Walnut Bread
All Columbia Club members are eligible to register for this event.
REGISTER HEREMichael Fogelman started making wine in his West Hollywood apartment on Sweetzer Avenue after a UC Davis trip to France in the summer of 2008 with his partner, Lisa Liberati. In the middle of the night, they hauled half a ton of Sonoma Cabernet up to their second floor, white-carpeted apartment.
The following year, they moved to a ground floor apartment to facilitate the process and after three years made the switch to Pinot Noir, their first love. After five years they moved production to a facility outside of Los Angeles. The following year they moved production to Buellton, 45 minutes north of Santa Barbara, and last July opened a tasting room in Lompoc. Presqu’ile Winery sold them grapes for their apartment wine, and from connections made there they were able to get into what they consider the best vineyards in Santa Barbara County.
They specialize in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with the goal of making wines that express the region and fruit, while retaining a pretty and pure quality that eschews over-extraction and overuse of oak. Recently, they started making Grenache, Rose, Sauvignon Blanc, and Dornfelder. Their wines have been poured at Gwen Restaurant in Hollywood, The Montage Resort in Laguna Beach, and Katsuya in Los Angeles, among other venues.
They still live in Hollywood and hold day jobs as SAT/ACT tutors, which means Michael drives to the winery nearly every day at 4 or 5am during the season (August to October) to do the winemaking, and Lisa drives to the tasting room every weekend. Join them here in our Main Dining Room while they speak about their “Labor of love”.