Feast for Your Eyes and Belly
Get your tickets soon for this year’s Bracebridge Dinner at the Ahwhanee hotel, where Tiburon’s Holly Noble (pictured in purple) continues in her role as Lady Delfinium and once again San Anselmo’s Melissa Wortman has designed the costumes. Up to 300 guests enjoy a lavish seven-course meal prepared by executive chef Percy Whatley and presented as a Renaissance lord’s yuletide feast, with service choreographed as part of the show. The Ahwahnee dining room, with its 50-foot ceiling and massive log beams, becomes the Great Hall at Squire Bracebridge’s manor, festively adorned with holiday decorations, many of them restored originals from the first productions in the late 1920s. The play is based on a story from Washington Irving’s The Sketch Book (1819); famed photographer Ansel Adams, also an accomplished musician and pianist, directed and performed in the play for nearly 45 years. December 13, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24 and 25 at 6 p.m; $1,718 (two-night package), $1,274 (one night); other park lodging available. yosemitepark.com/bracebridge
Rock on, vintner
Gotta love a vineyard dedicated to the rock-and-roll classics (non-musician-owned, no less). Cliff Lede of his namesake vineyard might play some mean air guitar, but he also makes award-winning wines from the 39 vineyard blocks, each named after a memorable hit, on his 60-acre Yountville spread. Grapes from the blocks called Dark Side of the Moon, Yesterday and When Doves Cry go into the cabernet sauvignon; Pinball Wizard’s fruit infuses the malbec; grapes from Stairway to Heaven will grace a cabernet franc. To celebrate harvest, Lede has opened his vineyards and tasting room for an interactive wine-and-tunes pairing event featuring the “Rock Block” series of estate wines. After a tour of the premises, guests return to the tasting room to sip wine, listen to songs and enjoy seasonal canapés. cliffedevineyards.com
Salon Bombay
Taj Campton Place, San Francisco’s “Wine Scene” series combines wine appreciation with intimate dining. A formal tasting and presentation by guest winemakers begins at 7 p.m. in the Taj Campton Place Suite; guests then enjoy a special five-course dinner prepared by executive chef Sriijith Gopinthan in the Campton Place Restaurant. Upcoming dates are October 5, featuring ZD Wines of Napa Valley with founder Rosa Lee deLeuze ($130); October 12, Folio Fine Wine Partners with Michael Mondavi ($130); and October 26, Cakebread Napa Valley with Dennis Cakebread ($140). $150 for a deluxe guest room. camptonplacesf.com
