Dallas joins food-wine circuit
December 3, 2004

By KIM PIERCE / Special Contributor

Every year, legions of foodies and wine lovers trek to places such as Aspen, New Orleans and Banff Springs, Alberta, for big-name, food-and-wine weekends.

Now Dallas' Jim White and Vicki Briley White have created Savor Dallas, a similar signature event here.

"We've gone to Aspen, New Orleans, Sonoma and Banff Springs," says Ms. White, president of Savor Dallas, "and half the people there are from Dallas, Texas."

"We know that people here are interested in learning about food, wine and spirits," she says, "because they travel all over the world to do it."

The husband-wife team is presenting Savor Dallas from Feb. 18 to 20, celebrating local chefs and the arts, as well as bringing in wine, food and spirits experts from across the country for a weekend of events ranging from an afternoon "Arts District Wine Stroll" Feb. 18 to a limited-seating "Reserve Tasting" at Nana on Feb. 19.

In between are winemaker dinners, seminars, tastings, cooking demos and related events attuned to every level of interest and pocketbook, all we can squeeze into two-and-a-half days," says Mr. White, the event's executive producer and host of Eats and Drinks With Jim White Saturdays 1 to 3 p.m. on KLIF-AM (570) and Making Reservations weekdays during the noon hour on WRR-FM (101.1).

Some of the luminaries presenting seminars include Joshua Wesson, founder of Best Cellars; Anthony Diaz Blue, wine writer for Bon Appetit; Steven Olsen, a.k.a. the Wine Geek; cookbook author Nathalie Dupree; Dale DeGroff, author of The Craft of the Cocktail; Zarela Martinez, cookbook author and owner of Zarela in New York; master of wine D.C. Flint; wine writer and vintner Jeff Morgan; and Leslie Sbrocco, author of Wine for Women.

"One of the things we did when scheduling seminars, in almost every hour is a seminar by a woman or for a woman," Ms. White says. "Women want to know about wine."

"Leslie will do the basics and buying and sharing wine," Ms. White says. "She will do a special fashion luncheon called 'Building Your Wine Wardrobe.' "

Local chefs who will participate in vintner dinners at their restaurants, as well as in the International Grand Tasting Feb. 19 include Kent Rathbun (Abacus and Jasper's), Dean Fearing (The Mansion on Turtle Creek), Stephan Pyles (Dragonfly), and Joanne Bondy (Ciudad). For a complete list, see the Savor Dallas Web site at www.savordallas.com. The vintner's dinner at Central Market will feature the wines of Benziger and discussion of its rigorous dynamic growing system, which is similar to organic.

Students from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts will perform at various venues during the weekend, including the "Celebration of Wine, Food, Spirits and Arts South of the Border" at the Latino Cultural Center on Feb. 18.

Prices for the various events range from $35 for individual tickets to the Arts District stroll to $450 for the full weekend "Reserve" package.

Although the major events are set, details are still in development - such as which vintners will be paired with which local chefs and restaurants.

Proceeds from the event benefit the North Texas Food Bank, the Arts Magnet Building and Renovation Campaign and the Greater Dallas Restaurant Association Scholarship and Fund.

Sponsors include Central Market, Rancho Zabaco Winery, Mirassou Winery and Da Vinci wines. It's also supported by American Airlines, American Express, the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau, Domaine Chandon, the Fairmont Hotel, Grey Goose Vodka, Bon Appetit, D magazine and the Hilton Anatole, official host hotel of the event.

Kim Pierce is a Dallas freelance writer.