’A Journey Of Flavor’ Fine Wine And Food Pairing For Captains And Chefs

Captains, chefs and their guests enjoyed an exclusive invitation-only wine and food tasting event hosted at Bluewater’s Fort Lauderdale office.

By Shalom Weiss • 24 June 2019

A Treat for the Tastebuds

’A Journey of Flavor’ Fine Wine and Food Pairing for Captains and Chefs took place from 6:00pm-9:00pm on June 24, 2019.

The event was hosted by Bluewater, Wild Fork Foods, and Crown Fine Wine & Spirits, who created a fun and educational wine and food pairing event for Chefs and Captains.

The evening featured a delicious selection of meats and seafood paired expertly with the champagne, rosé, and wine selections for the evening.
© Bluewater Yachting

So much talent

Wild Fork Foods has several stunning locations across South Florida, as well as a mobile store & kitchen to better serve their clients’ needs. Offering farm-to-fork experience through quality sourcing of meats and seafood, a blast freezing process and same-day delivery to the store. All of their items can be purchased in-store or online.

Jacqueline Kleis, Head of Culinary Research & Development at Wild Fork Foods Chef Jacqueline Kleis, a veteran chef, lauded restaurateur, renowned culinary expert, and Puerto Rico native has crafted the menu for the evening. She has apprenticed and worked side by side with some of the most renowned Michelin rated chefs, such as Georges Blanc in Vonnas, France; Joël Robuchon in Paris; Richard Cressac at the five-star Hotel Beau Rivage in Geneva; pastry chef and chocolatier Jean Claude Marmey in Trévoux, France; and Austrian Chef Augusto Schreiner at the Hotel Caribe Hilton in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Crown Fine Wine & Spirits, "the gourmet experience", has 12 stunning venues in total across South Florida to better serve their clients’ needs. They have been in business since 1955 and is family owned. The company has received many awards over the years and continues to offer the highest caliber of service to its customers.

Fernando Jewett, Expert Wine Buyer and Yacht Provisioner for over 13 years, selected the wines for the evening’s festivities. He holds a degree in hospitality and is an I.S.G. Sommelier. He is well-known and respected in the Luxury Superyacht Industry. He and his team understand the importance of provisioning for your yacht owner and charter guests.

The menu

The evening began with a welcome glass of Château la Gordonne Côtes de Provence Rosé and Louis Pommery Champagne paired with delicious appetizers.

Then we paired a selection of wines with mouth watering tasting plates;

Blackened Seared Scallops over Lemon Risotto Halibut with Cilantro, Lime.
Organic Chicken Tenderloin Satay with Spicy Thai Lemongrass and Coconut Infusion Spicy Mojo Pork Tenderloin on the grill with Mango Chutney.
Carved Tomahawk with Truffle Demi-Glace and Black Garlic over Mashed Lavender Cauliflower, Grass Fed Outside Skirt with House Basil Chimichurri and Microgreen Salad with Hazelnuts.
Grilled Rib Chops with Herb-Pinot Noir Reduction, Duck Breast with Kumquat, Quinoa-Kale salad, and Pomegranate Salad.

To finish, our guests enjoyed assorted Macaroons and great conversation with the experts!

Training and Crew Placement with Bluewater

This event was open to all our Captains and Chefs, whether currently employed or between jobs. If you are looking for your next adventure, our crew agents, Edie Guzman and Terry Haas who were at the event have many positions available. Feel free to stop by our office during walk-in hours, 10 AM to 1 PM Monday through Friday for more information.

If you are looking to expand your CV with more qualifications, make a visit to our state-of-the-art training center and talk to Jim Distler, head of the Food Safety instruction, and Mig Urquhart our MCA Deck Lead Instructor.

You can also check our live job board to see some of the positions we have, globally, and our training schedule is online when you’re ready to book your next course.

We hope to see you at another Bluewater event in the near future - keep an eye on your Club page or the Bluewater crew Facebook page for other upcoming events.

Château la Gordonne Côtes de Provence Rosé

The history of Château La Gordonne stretches back over 2,000 years to the first century BC, when the Romans began using the area for vineyards due to its exceptional climate. Through the years the property had various names, and eventually took its current moniker from Conseiller de Gourdon who became owner in 1650. In 1663, the part known as La Gordonne was purchased by Conseiller de Dedons, Lord of Pierrefeu. This purchased included the house, olive trees and 300 acres of vines.

It changed hands again just before the French Revolution in 1789, and the Château and its surrounding buildings were restored in 1850. In 1922, Château La Gordonne wine first appeared in the Toulon market, and nearly a century later continues to be known for its quality and richness.

Today Château La Gordonne is known for harvesting its grapes at night, out of sight from the hot Mediterranean sun. With air temperatures around 15°C lower in the darkness, the full natural flavor of the grapes is preserved. This also prevents the juice from excessive tinting caused by the grape skins, resulting in a naturally pale pink rosé.

After harvesting, the grapes are pressed and fermented at low temperatures. The wine is kept in vats made either of stainless steel or coated cement. This process creates wines that have won awards worldwide, including a gold medal at the prestigious Vinalies® Internationales competition.

For more information on purchasing Château la Gordonne Côtes de Provence Rosé, please contact Fernando Jewett at Crown Fine Wine & Spirits.

Louis Pommery Champagne

Louis Pommery Champagne was founded in 1856 by Louis Pommery, to provide for his infant daughter Louise. He died a short while later and his widow took over the company, creating a distinct brand image and earning a reputation as an entrepreneur, humanitarian and patron of the arts. Among its contributions to the world of wine, Pommery is credited as being the first Champagne house to offer Brut Champagne in 1874. Upon Madame Pommery’s death in 1890, son Louis and daughter Louise took over managing the family business. Pommery’s prestigious reputation continues today, with its 50 hectare estate housing cellars accommodating 20 million bottles of Champagne.

Raats Chenin Blanc

Founded in 2000, Raats Family Wines is a family-run South African winery known for specializing in Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc. Their focus on these varietals has created wines that brought international acclaim, receiving positive reviews in publications such as The New York Times, Daily Mail, Wine Spectator, and Wine Advocate. Focusing on the perfection of these two varietals resulted in the unprecedented success of 8 wines receiving a 5-star rating from the Platter Guide in 2017, as well as Raats being named Winery of the Year.

Glenelly Estate Chardonnay

Located in the Stellenbosch Wine of South Africa, Glenelly Estate was founded in 2009 by May de Lencquesaing. De Lencquesaing is a French winemaker known for decades as an expert in the production of wine, and purchased the estate after recognizing its potential. She achieved her vision with an extremely modern winery with a minimal environmental footprint, community outreach in assisting the children of the workers, and even one of the largest privately owned glass collections in the world on the estate.

De Toren Z Red Blend

The De Toren Estate Winery began with the purchase of just 7 hectares in 1991, followed by the final 17 hectares two years later. After much research and the construction of a winery claimed to have the only 100% gravity-fed vinification process, the first vintage was produced in 1999. By 2011, Wine Enthusiast Magazine declared De Toren New World Winery of the Year. De Toren “Z" is so named for the zephyr breeze that cools the ocean-facing vineyards where the grapes are grown.

Kanonkop Cabernet Sauvignon

Kanonkop Estate is a fourth generation winery, handed down from father to son for over 40 years. The 125-hectare estate with its 100 hectares of vineyards are located in the Simonsberg ward, an area known as the "red wine bowl" of South Africa due to ideal climate and soil conditions. Kanonkop’s premium quality wines are produced by 54 employees, the majority of which live on the estate and enjoy a profit-sharing system with the upper management. The estate is open to the public for tastings, and even features its own investment art gallery inside one of its maturation cellars.
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