QUACK, QUACK. Duckhorn Vineyards hosted a successful wine dinner at the Sunset Grille Restaurant, last week. Michael v/d Berg and Herdy Ten Lohuis, of Pepia Est, which as you know are the local aggressive importers & distributers for the winery – aggressive in sales, is good — invited the Duckhorn Export Sale Manager, a friendly and entertaining character by the name of Brian Bostwick to host the event. In charge of inviting their major clients Raymond Kok, Jimmy Koopman and Kiume Tjonastein, the company’s three dynamic salesmen, who were happy to include Ivette and Patrick van der Donk, of Amuse, Shirley, Aqua Grille, and Nigel Barrow, Joel Bunde, the General Manager of the Hyatt Regency, and food & beverage executive Julian Tucker, Freddy Zedan, Marrit Fleur and Chantal Beke, of Divi Resorts, Mark Naber, the former food & beverage manager, now director of operations for the Hilton Aruba Caribbean Hotel & Casino, who will be relocating for a new assignment, Arianna Valentino, the resort’s long time Director of Sales and Marketing, Ruben and Jundira Yrausquin, no introductions needed, Marvin and Sharla Kelly, ABC Tours… you get the picture, an excellent, appreciative crowd. The Hilton’s culinary brigade, with chef Anthony Martinus and Executive Sous Chef Hector Espinosa was inspired by Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley, California 2013, and paired a lightly grilled Scallop and Apple appetizer with the wine, produced by Duckhorn since 1982. After a delicious orange flavored sorbet, Grilled Rack of Lamb was paired with the world-class, flavorful Migration Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, California, 2013. I love that wine and I wanted to eat every bit of my chops, which was a challenge on the narrow plate they were served on, I kept picking them off the white tablecloth, where they frequently landed, hope no one noticed. The vinery’s famed Duckhorn Merlot Napa Valley California, 2012, complemented the Filet Mignon, which was pre-cut and easy to handle, and the Paraduxx Proprietary Red Wine Napa Valley Californiam 2011, was an outstanding escort for the dessert, dark chocolate served a number of different ways. Duckhorn Vineyard, a premier producer of Bordeaux varietal wines co-founded by Dan and Margaret Duckhorn in 1976, spent almost forty years establishing itself as one of North America’s premier producers of Napa Valley wines. Duckhorn Vineyards’ tradition of quality and excellence resonates well in Aruba as well, where the wines are served at fine restaurants, and are available on the wine card of the Sunset Grille. And talking about the resort Sheldon Leuden, restaurants manager, helped orchestrate the evening.
