It’s here! Big Sky Resort’s 3rd Annual Vine & Dine Festival of vintage wine and gourmet food will take place Thursday, August 18th through Sunday, August 21st. The event offers a variety of experiences in the Mountain Village designed to increase your knowledge and enjoyment of wine and food by providing exciting activities, seminars, tastings, and dinners. Vine & Dine will feature Google Global Program Chef Scott Giambastiani and Master Sommeliers Fred Dame and Jay Fletcher. Highlighted events include the “Farm, Field and Vine Showcase,” Tasting the Master’s Way, Cheese & Wine…One Stinky Good Time, Pinot on the Peak, the Vine and Dine Grand Event, Brunch at the Base to close out the weekend, and so much more! Fred Dame, Master Sommelier, brings an impressive blend of experience, expertise and enthusiasm to the world of wine and cuisine. He is the first American to have served as President of the Court of Master Sommeliers Worldwide. Dame’s ability to transmit his passionate interest in wine makes him a natural teacher.
One of just 73 Americans to have passed the Master Sommelier Examination, Dame was the first to successfully pass all three sections within a single year. This feat and his high score won him the coveted Krug Cup of the British Guild of Sommeliers in 1984. Dame founded the American Branch of The Court of Master Sommeliers in 1986 and has played an active role in the expansion of the Master Sommelier program throughout America since that time. Jay Fletcher is the Executive Director of Fine Wine and Master Sommelier for Southern Wine and Spirits of Colorado. He specializes in all aspects of the wine and restaurant industry, including fine wine sales, cellar appraisals, cellar management, educational lectures, restaurant staff training, specialty event planning, and wine list construction. Fletcher has lectured and sat on panels at hundreds of wine events around the country including Disney’s Epcot Food and Wine Festival, the Food & Wine Classic at Aspen, Kapalua Wine Festival, and Crystal Cruises Wine Tours. Scott Giambastiani was trained at the California Culinary Academy and afterwards interned at The Lark Creek Inn, a fine dining establishment in Marin County in California. He then worked with Gary Danko at the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco, and then went on to spent 9 years at Viognier in San Mateo, Calif.
In 2006, he joined the culinary team at Google and is quite happy with his choice. Admission varies from event to event. Visit www.bigskyresort-.com/vine to register, where you can also fine further event detail. Lodging discounts are valid the nights of August 17th-21st at Huntley Lodge, Summit Hotel, and Village Center. Please call Big Sky Central Reservations to book a room at (800) 548-4486 and reference Vine & Dine. •