12/08/2014 - A Pebble Beach Food and Wine Teaser

Slow Living Radio this week brings you a taste of what is to come in next year's Pebble Beach Food and Wine Classic. We hear from the founder, David Bernhal, Wine director, Lara Sailer Long and three of the esteemed wine presenters.

The legendary Larry Stone, Master Sommelier, winemaker and more, enlightens us with his amazing story. Carlton McCoy, Wine Director for the Little Nell in Aspen and Seth Kunin, proprietor and winemaker for Kunin Wines also join us to share their own journeys and a sampling of what they will be sharing with guest at the Pebble Beach extravaganza.

Larry Stone, MS,

Huneeus Vintnerclose

 

 

Larry Stone is the Estates Director of Quintessa in Rutherford and works with Huneeus Vintners on other projects such as Neyen in Chile and Flowers in Sonoma Coast.  He is also the Dean of Wine Studies for the International Culinary Center.  Prior to this appointment, Stone was President of Evening Land Vineyards and general manager of Rubicon Estate in Rutherford. He is a two-time recipient of the James Beard Award for Outstanding Wine Service.  An English-certified Master Sommelier, Stone passed the examination on his first attempt.  He was elected to the board of directors of the Court of Master Sommeliers in 2004 and became a trustee of the James Beard Foundation in 2005. He is the only American to earn the title of Master Sommelier from the Union de la Sommelerie Francaise. His wine-buying and management expertise brought acclaim to the wine programs at the Four Seasons Olympic, Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons Chicago hotels, Charlie Trotter's restaurant, and finally Rubicon restaurant, which was an iconic destination in San Francisco for 15 years.

 

Seth Kunin,

Sommelier / Wine Maker, Kunin Winesclose

 

Seth Kunin (along with his wife, Magan and their daughter, Phoebe) is the owner of Kunin Wines, a boutique producer of Rhone and other varietals from California’s Central Coast. He started the venture in 1998, after a long stint in the restaurant business – most notably as the GM of Santa Barbara’s Wine Cask (the Central Coast’s only Wine Spectator Grand Award winner at the time, and one of fewer than 100 restaurants in the world with the award). In addition to producing award-winning wines under the Kunin label, Seth was the consulting winemaker for Westerly Vineyards in Santa Ynez’s Happy Canyon for ten vintages, and crafted what FOOD & WINE magazine called “America’s Best” Sauvignon Blanc in 2006. He has served as an associate faculty member in Alan Hancock College’s Viticulture and Enology program and currently sits on the board of the Santa Barbara County Vintner’s Association. He is on the steering committee for the Central Coast Wine Classic and has been working and consulting with the Masters of Food & Wine, Pebble Beach Food & Wine and now Los Angeles Food & Wine for over 15 years.

 

Carlton McCoy,

Wine Director
The Little Nell, Aspen

 

Wine Director Carlton McCoy discovered his love for the food and beverage world when he took a culinary arts course in high school. A scholarship to The Culinary Institute of America called Carlton to his true passion—wine and service. Before arriving at The Little Nell in 2011, he passed through several legendary institutions, including Thomas Keller’s Per Se, Marcus Samuellson’s Aquavit, Tom Colicchio’s Craft Steak in New York and Eric Zeibold’s CityZen at The Mandarin Oriental in Washington, DC. Carlton was drawn to The Little Nell by the hotel's Wine Spectator Grand Award-winning program and the property's exciting reputation. In May of 2013, Carlton became the 10th Master Sommelier to come through The Little Nell's  deservedly famed wine team.