Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/457084
18 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } FEBRUARY/MARCH 2015 Walking the Appellation Trail with Flavor! Napa Valley CULINARY AND WINE EVENTS GURU HERB KARLITZ and restaurateur Chef Michael Chiarello had an idea to bring chefs and wine together for Napa Valley's biggest event of the year. For the past four years, the size and scope of it blossomed and events sold out in days. Karlitz, CEO of event marketing firm Karlitz & Company, has produced many of the nation's most popular epicurean festivals and events, including the New York City Wine & Food Festival, the Michelin Awards, "Taste of the World" at The Breeders' Cup and the upcoming Harlem EatUp! in May, 2015. Flavor! Napa Valley celebrates farm-to-table cuisine, fine regional dining, and world-class wines from the region. Over the five days, guests enjoyed tastings, seminars, meals and workshops led by the region's top chefs as well as famed graduates of the Culinary Institute of America. We attended the Appellation Trail, a clever joining of Napa Valley's wine regions and its most sought- after chefs. The event, held at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, was a seemingly endless three-floor array of wine and food. { shop talk } Flavor! Napa Valley orga- nizer Herb Karlitz with Coral Brown of Napa's Brown Estate Vineyards and Shannon Staglin of Staglin Family Vineyard at the Appellation Trail, a gathering of wines from all of Napa's growing regions, paired with cuisine from local chefs.