It may come as a surprise to learn that the first wine production in the United States started in what now is called New Mexico by Spanish monks in 1633. The New Mexico wine country is home to over forty wineries, several in the vicinity of the art colony, Taos, high up in the Sangre de Cristo mountains.
In August, 2011 the toast of taos arts & wine festival took place under the new and enthusiastic management of Jan Mellor, gallery owner; Jillian Smothers, Food & Beverage Director for Taos Country Club; and sculptor Steven Gootgeld. This year the festival consisted of three main events. Several art, food and music partnering events ran concurrent with the festival.
The first event was Wine Seminar: Pairing Wine with Food with chef and wine enthusiast, Jo Ann Carolla-Polt held at El Monte Sagrado Living Spa and Resort. Carolla-Polt is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. In 1995 she opened Bravo, a popular Taos restaurant and wine shop. She is currently with Fiasco Fine Wine in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Carolla-Polt explained how wine was developed in small villages to go with the local food. She then taught how to pair the right wines with certain foods. This was then demonstrated experientially by trying several selections of wine and various tastes of food, ending with a gourmet plate prepared by Monte Sagrado's acclaimed chef, Henry Chaperont.
Even though there are some “rules” for pairing, she said that, really, it is subjective and, “You have to choose the wine that works for you.” One of the many tips she shared was, “Never salt food--first, wait for your wine.”
The second event was Wine Seminar: “What's in the Glass” with Craig Dunn, the Historic Taos Inn's cellar master/sommelier, held at Doc Martin's Restaurant in the Taos Inn.
In a lively discussion, Dunn talked about how wines evolved, what makes it taste the way it does, and what impact the winemaker and the climate have on the wine. He described the “sensory analysis” of wine: visual, nose and taste and how to thus identify wines. He then conducted a tasting of “Old World” versus “New World” wines. He started with sparkling wines (Old World: Champagne), then with reds. Surprisingly, Romania had a nice fruity, but complex Pinot Noir. Finally, the tasting ended with comparing the whites. Overall, for this writer, the “Old World” won. The seminar ended with a blind tasting in which some of the participants easily identified the wine.
Both of these seminars were very informative (and fun!).
The third day the final event, the Grand Tasting, was held at the Taos Convention Center. There was an impressively large selection of wines to try--several from New Mexico, food from some of Taos' best restaurants and several artists’ work to view. A silent auction was held to benefit the Taos Community Foundation and the Taos Arts and Cultural District. Toast of Taos posters were available to purchase and the winning poster artist, Alvaro Cardona-Hine, was present with the original painting, “Memory's Bar,” which was for sale.
Featured wineries in the Taos area that participated included: La Chiripada, Black Mesa, and Ponderosa. Other participating wineries were: Gruet, Oak Ridge Winery, Oak Hills Winery, Vino del Sol, Morgan Winery, Cline Vineyards, Chono Reserva, Rayun, Clearwater Creek, Candor, Lake Sonoma, Moss Roxx, Vally of the Moon, Old Zin Vines, 3 Girls, Maggio, Liberty School Winery, Treana, and Kenwood.
Participating restaurants included Lambert's, El Meze, Dragonfly Cafe & Bakery, Doc Martin's Restaurant, Gorge Bar & Grill, Sabroso Restaurant & Bar and Monte Sagrado's De La Tierra.
Some of the participating events held during Toast of Taos were:
Chef Arik Zamora of The Gorge Bar and Grill hosted a Wine Dinner with Cline Vineyards with Charlie Cline present.
The taos gallery/Gallery on the Green exhibited the Mythic Paintings of Alvaro Cardona-Hine (Toast of Taos winning poster artist) at the Taos Country Club.
Wilder Nightingale Fine Art and the Grand Bohemian Gallery at the El Monte Sagrado Resort presented "Remembering Rory," the work of the late Rory Wagner.
Inger Jirby Gallery and Sculpture Garden presented Desert Sun/Vicki Pfeiffer,…. performing vocals and Guitar.
Walden Fine Art presented Rogers Williams: The Skies of New Mexico.
Doug Scott Showroom - Doug Scott was painting live on the Taos Plaza.
The mica clay art of Taos Pueblo artist Dawning Pollen Shorty was shown in Starr Interiors' gallery, with a pottery-making demonstration in the Starr Interiors’ courtyard, followed by a reception for the artist. The event coincided with Toast of Taos and the Santa Fe Indian Market.
Honoring our Native American ancestors, Las Comadres Gallery presented "Seeking the Elder's Path" a show of Santa Claran pottery by Judy Tafoya and tin and beadwork sculpture by Jeanne Halsey.
Peggy McGivern’s 2nd Annual Exhibition: Legends and Myths at Act I Gallery.
“Art by the Glass” classes were offered at El Monte Sagrado--a fun opportunity for adults to sip wine while learning how to paint.
Touchstone Inn had a gallery opening. The theme was "Surface and Delight".
There was live music every night of the festival at the Adobe Bar in the Historic Taos Inn.
Taos Plaza Live, as their weekly Thursday Night Concert, presented the music of Jimmy Stadler in the Plaza.
And, the 3rd Annual Taos Mountain Music Festival was concurrent with Toast of Taos.
The mission of the Annual Toast of Taos Arts and Wine Festival “is to promote, sustain and embrace the unique traditions of the cultures and arts of Taos, New Mexico by offering the opportunity to showcase and experience the blending of fine dining, fine wines, art and history.”
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