Bacchus on the Beach at Longboat Key Club & Resort

Vintner dinner under the oaks at Longboat Key Club & Resort.

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I was full of anticipation on a recent weekend getaway as I drove to the Longboat Key Club & Resort in Longboat Key near Sarasota. The plan: to attend a vintner dinner as part of the resort’s inaugural Bacchus on the Beach event.

Longboat Key Club & Resort is the perfect place to escape from it all — starting with the Gulf setting, which is unbeatable. I arrived in just enough time to take a beach walk and collect mollusk shells that were larger than any I’d ever seen before. Getting ready for dinner — the Pacific Northwest Salmon Bake with Randy Ford of King Estate Winery in Oregon and Butch Milbrandt of Milbrandt Vineyards in Washington State — I happily caught the pink streaked sunset from my balcony.

The Pacific Northwest Salmon Bake was one of five dinners happening that evening. Other events across the three-day gathering in celebration of food, wine and art included an array of tastings and cooking demonstrations, a pig roast and a stone crab celebration and winemakers auction.

There was a bit of a November fall Florida chill in the air. It was perfect! On a resort lawn at Island House under the oaks, a long farmstead table was set up with casual seating. It was straight out of a design book. Add in the scent of cedar wood and salmon cooking over an open pit (in an authentic Pacific Northwest manner) plus the candle-lit ambience, well, it really was a dreamscape.

The night was filled with extraordinary wines, food and new friends. King Estate Domaine Pinot Gris 2009 accompanied Pacific Coast oysters and mini goat cheese rounds; King Estate Domaine Pinot Noir 2008 was paired with a beef and marionberry salad and a foraged mushroom and braised cherry salad. The star entree — fire-roasted cedar-staked salmon — had a blueberry-maple glaze. It was all delicious! Sides included a new potato tart and roasted root vegetables. And as if that weren’t enough, there was charred beef strip with smoky balsamic onions and grape compote. Wine pairings to complement these dishes included Milbrandt’s Estate Merlot 2008 and Cabernet Sauvignon 2009.

With the wine flowing and the conversation buzzing, the evening was a smash hit!  I can’t wait to attend next year’s Bacchus on the Beach. Hope you will too.

Tags: Bacchus on the Beach | King Estate | Longboat Key | Longboat Key Club & Resort | Milbrandt Vineyards