Usually a picture can tell 1,000 words, as the saying goes, but it's fair to say that photographs from the July 24 installment of Summer Harvest: Grilling With Roman at Wolffer Estate say a lot more.
Except that they only begin to suggest that the food was outrageous, the wine sublime, and the atmosphere divine. As fireflies danced among the vines, attendees enjoyed recipes inspired by the guest of honor, Tieghan Gerard, the popular food blogger and author behind Half Baked Harvest, and cooked by the winemaker and Wolffer partner Roman Roth himself.
And, of course, each dish was paired expertly with a wine from Wolffer's catalogue, from Summer in a Bottle, a rosé that needs little more by way of introduction, to a special dessert wine from Mr. Roth's personal library that featured notes of fig and cherry, and three more vintages in between.
Mr. Roth delighted guests with his witty banter, and eventually donned a cheeky apron that compared being 50 years old to aging like a fine wine. "I wish I would age as well as my wine," he joked at one point.
And Ms. Gerard was all smiles as she paused for photos with her fans -- a fair percentage of the 40 people who had gathered on the terrace to celebrate the pop-up partnership and individual successes of Wolffer and Half Baked Harvest. Mr. Roth was named one of the wine industry's "most inspiring people" by The Wine Industry Advisor in 2019; Ms. Gerard has two cookbooks out already, "Half Baked Harvest Super Simple" and "Half Baked Harvest Every Day," with a third coming in November, "Half Baked Harvest Quick and Cozy." Her Instagram following, at @halfbakedharvest, numbers 5.5 million fans, among them celebrities like Blake Lively, Jennifer Garner, and Gigi Hadid. "Tieghan knows how to turn ordinary moments into extraordinary culinary adventures," said a post-event release from the winery.
The adventure started with a watermelon and grilled-peach salad with arugula and feta, paired with Wolffer's No. 39 Peach Cider. The bright flavors in the salad met the cider with summery joy on the tongue as Mr. Roth proclaimed, "This may change your life." It was certainly a memorable combination.
Then came a savory flatbread topped with prosciutto and ricotta and a refreshing corn, tomato, and snap pea salad, whetting the appetite for more as some Summer in a Bottle was passed around. The harvest party also served as a birthday celebration of sorts for the Summer in a Bottle label, which turns 10 years old this summer.
Notably, the fruits and veggies thus far were from local farms, a big focus of Mr. Roth's in his Grilling dinner series. "What are you doing for local food?" he asked his guests, encouraging them to have conversations with their favorite restaurants about sourcing ingredients close to home.
Then came two impressive main courses: buttery sea scallops with a lemony feta dressing and herbed lemon-garlic steak. The steak was prepared right before the guests' eyes, with Mr. Roth dodging tall flames as he grilled.
A choice of wine was offered at this point. One was the 2019 Fatalis Fatum Red Blend (which scored 91 points from Wine Advocate when it was released), featuring flavors of fruit, licorice, coffee, dark chocolate, and black olive. According to the tasting notes, "This blend is a great statement for this region and will unfold for many years to come."
The second option was the 2022 Perle chardonnay, a white burgundy-inspired vintage with hints of apricot, vanilla, and honey. "The ultimate food companion," declared the tasting notes. Accurate.
The scallops and steak made their way family-style down the long table. This writer wondered just how much food would be impolite to serve myself, before settling on three scallops and four slices of steak. They were every bit as delicious as they looked, with the little bits of mango adding an extra pop of flavor to the scallops. Another complementary flavor was crispy garlic bread topped with pesto, also grilled up by Mr. Roth.
Ms. Gerard's no-churn strawberry ice cream, topped with fresh strawberries and garnished with mint, concluded the dinner. She shared this recipe on Instagram three weeks ago, promising that it "beats out anything from the local ice cream shop, if you ask me." She wasn't kidding.
It was an evening to remember.
For those who missed out, Wolffer Estate's upcoming offerings include a wine dinner next Thursday at Enchanté in Southampton Village, featuring white wines to go with selected French dishes, plus weekly live music performances and yoga-in-the-vines at the Wolffer Wine Stand to round out the summer calendar.
