A Spirited Affair saw Fess Parker Winery, a Santa Barbara fixture, paired with The Gwen Chicago for a remarkable paint and sip event. Bites and sips pairings were designed by executive chef at The Gwen, Chef Matt Jergens. Before this, The Gwen has hosted tequila classes and bourbon classes, but our cohort was lucky to have a special guest from the Fess Parker Winery's national team, Jayne O’Neil, and an artistic instructor, Northern Illinois artist Drew Eurek.
We started the evening with a light white wine, Epiphany Grenache Blanc: it was bright, crisp, and acidic, right up my (v)alley. Our first paired wine was Ashley's Chardonnay, which we were served alongside a spot prawn roll with pear and apple slaw on buttered brioche. This fish was super fresh and light, with a toasted bun a la my favorite New England lobster roll. Plus, the pear on top was an unexpected highlight, elevating the flavor palate even further. I was clearly getting very into my painting alongside my prawn—my sister pointed out that I accidentally put my paintbrush down on my prawn plate, oh my!
Next came the candied duck breast, served on top of semolina gnocchi and huckleberry jus. It was nicely cooked, with the gnocchi forming a delicious patty underneath. Like our previous dish, fresh fruit rounded out the flavor, with the huckleberry jus adding extra volume and unexpected harmony. Our second wine was Sta Rita Hills Pinot Noir, which had the effect of a red blend with just enough body to give it pinot-worthy personality.
Then came our muse for the evening's painting: The Big Easy. Our representative from Fess Parker, Jayne, lets us know that this iconic wine is the second-largest production in the portfolio. Though the red was a bit strong for our taste (my sister's and mine), we enjoyed getting to know the grapes behind the label. It tasted rich and warm, like a bleary summer night on the streets of New Orleans.
The Big Easy was paired with the chicory coffee rubbed beef strip loin, which had a breathtaking balance of tang from the coffee and sweet juice from the steak. There was just the right amount of sauce to delicately complement each bite of meat, making this the culinary accomplishment of the evening. It was delightful, savory, and perfectly cooked for all palates.
Our wine with dessert was Santa Barbara Riesling. Though a sweeter wine can sometimes be overwhelming, this Riesling hit the nail on the head, and it was an ideal companion for the apple tart we had for dessert, complete with a brown sugar crumble, caramel, and whipped cream. Like the rest of our meal, everything in this dish was perfectly proportioned, with just the right amount of crumble, whip, crust, and just a hint of caramel.
And, voila! Our finished products, pictured below (mine on the left and my sister's on the right). At the onset of the night, Drew introduced a competitive element to the event—he would pick his two favorite paintings and award a bottle of wine to their artists. This challenge was definitely intimidating. But instead of crowning two winners, our instructor chose three whole tables to honor, including ours! Though our paintings weren't anywhere close to picture-perfect recreations of our inspiration, they were an abstract homage to the colors and shapes we could vaguely perceive our teacher making on his own canvas. I hope we made The Big Easy proud!
Our paintings may be total Monets—"from far away, it's okay, but up close, it's a big old mess" (thank you, Clueless). But we still had a blast, got to try exciting new wines and flavors, and added more color to the world. So I would recommend the Paint and Sip experience at The Gwen to folks of all skill levels and all palates and palettes (culinary and creative).
The Gwen is located at 521 N Rush St and you can make reservations on their website.
All photos by Row Light.
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