South Coast Winery plans New Year's Eve gala - The art of celebration refined

Now, 2011 is almost a memory - reward yourself for a year well-lived! What better segue into 2012 than with an elegant celebration at Temecula’s South Coast Winery?

This award-winning establishment nestled among rows of grapevines is hosting a New Year’s Eve Gala dubbed, “New York, New York – East Coast Meets South Coast.” Maybe the fact that you are in Times Square is an illusion, but the gourmet cuisine served will be no illusion.

Guests will have a choice of two separate affairs; and at both venues the cuisine will be simply scrumptious! For $195 per person, celebrants at the Grand Ballroom will enjoy a lively experience with a lavish gourmet buffet complete with a bottle of South Coast award-winning wine. Live music and dancing to the band The Mighty Untouchables (70s up to current music) will cap the evening. DJ Devaughn will fill in the blanks when the band goes on break to assure that there will be no awkward silences.

The Vineyard Rose venue, at $275 per person, is taking elegance a step further with a theme of “Black and White.” This will be a seated affair with servers hovering; and clever decorations, complete with a black and white balloon drop. The food presentations will also follow the “Black and White” motif.

Enjoy a five-course feast with a bottle of South Coast Winery award-winning wine and live music from 6:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Vocalist Dan DeLurgio will entertain with songs that Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and others made famous.

Executive Sous Chef Mike Terry has created a “Black and White” menu that is inventive as well as delicious. Creating this type of menu is not an easy task considering that he not only seeks out food items that fall into the correct color spectrum, but the flavors of the chosen items must mingle to create a memorable taste sensation. However, diners will soon discover that this delightful array of delicacies will give them a sudden urge to applaud.

Vineyard Rose’s Amuse-bouche is California Camembert Blackberry Compote. The blackberries zip up the mild, smooth camembert and the ti leaf base makes an attractive presentation. An excellent wine-pairing is the South Coast Reserve Chardonnay.

Skipping to the Second Course we find a Butter-Poached Diver Scallop on a bed of Black and White Pasta. The scallop is tender with a mild flavor; and the pasta is infused with squid ink, which lends a mild seafood nuance; and pairs superbly with the scallop. The ink also gives the pasta its black hue.

Pairing South Coast Reserve Chardonnay with the scallop dish works because it is one of the heavier-bodied wines with an oaky, buttery texture which complements the buttery scallop. The wine is aged for six months in European oak that was selected from forests in France, Hungary, Russia, and Germany. This aging process lends an oaky, buttery texture with just a hint of vanilla. South Coast Reserve Chardonnay is exquisite and deserves its own attention.

A Sweet Trio of Truffles is in store for diners at the meal’s finale. South Coast Black Jack Port is the operative ingredient in the Dark Bitter Sweet Chocolate truffle. This sweet wine with subtle nuances of chocolate and berry makes each bite of this truffle a sublime experience.

The White Chocolate and Coconut truffle has a creamy inner texture with a hint of caramel taste and an outer sprinkling of coconut. South Coast Late Harvest Riesling, with its fruit highlights, lends a subtle nuance of lemon.

Oreo cookie crumbs envelop the Dark and White Chocolate with Tuxedo Cookie Crust truffle. This truffle mingles both the white and chocolate truffles and is a perfect finale to the feast!

If guests wish to extend their evening soirée to an overnight experience, a fireplace, spa and terrace are what can be expected when they book one of the winery’s villas. These units are spacious and exquisite (with no common walls), but please bear in mind that there is a two-night minimum for villa visits.

Frances Packham, South Coast Winery Resort and Spa’s general manager, remarked, “This is the perfect place to be on New Year’s Eve, it’s not Times Square, but it will be close.”

Celebrants at South Coast Winery’s New Year’s Eve Gala will experience an elegant event that is beyond memorable while surrounded by the gentle beauty of the winter vineyards and the twinkling white lights on the grape arbors.

For further information, call toll-free (866) 994-6379 Ext.1 or visit http://www.cegseats.com.

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