Kenwood Inn and Spa introduces Garden to Glass, an event series offered select Thursday evenings now through September that provides an educational and delicious peek into the hotel’s award-winning food and wine program.

The “Garden” events invite guests to walk the Kenwood gardens to select fresh ingredients with Executive Chef Steven Snook while enjoying a glass of HKG Sparkling Rosé. Following the tour, Chef Steven utilizes the freshly picked fare to demonstrate the creation of select Kenwood Inn and Spa signature menu items to be enjoyed immediately.  On our most recent visit to Kenwood, we witnessed Chef Steven clipping rosemary in one of the resorts’ many gardens.  The gardens around the property are lovely examples of one resort’s commitment to Farm to Table cooking!

Wine Director Ann Davis hosts the “Glass” events designed to provide firsthand knowledge on how the basic tactile sensations from food and wine can either create an affinity or conflict with one another. Aspiring aficionados will swirl and sample wines from boutique wineries in the Sonoma Valley and beyond paired with bites from the Kenwood kitchen.

My husband and I participated in the Glass event, the inaugural class if you will.  Ann was so personable and full of knowledge, no question was too simple for her.  We learned that it was all about balance when it comes to food and wine, you want to bring out the best qualities of your wine with the right bites.  You learn that it’s simple science (Molnar Chardonnay bitter/sour when you pair with strawberries, sweet when paired with salty green olives. Merlot with 100% cocoa was bitter and chalky, paired with peppered brie, balanced and lovely!) and you probably have been doing it all along and don’t realize it!

Garden events will be offered Thursdays, July 11, August 1, September 5 from 4 – 5 p.m. and includes a garden tour, cooking demonstration and tasting with Executive Chef Steven Snook. Glass events will be offered Thursdays,  July 18, August 15, and September 12, from 4 – 5 p.m. and includes wine tasting, education and light bites.

Tickets are $40 per person or $70 for a couple per event, with 10 percent of ticket sales going back to the Boys & Girls Club of Sonoma Valley. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling 1.800.353.6966.

I participated in a media event, all opinons are my own.