Vieux Carré Market Winemaker’s Dinner

A huge crowd filled Vieux Carré Market to capacity during the second annual North Delta Food and Wine Festival. Hosts with the most, Therese and Sammy Nagem, brought in their good friend, James Blanchard of Blanchard Family Wines, for the event. The Nagems, who are among the Patron Circle sponsors of the Crested Butte Food and Wine Festival, had discovered Blanchard Family Wines at the Colorado event and wanted epicureans from our area to experience the small label’s offerings.

Vieux Carré’s Chef John Peters, who trained at Commander’s Palace, displayed his impressive range, pairing Blanchard’s wines with delights such as smoked duck spring rolls with Tiger Eye spice, crispy oysters on a bed of mixed greens, a melt-in-your-mouth filet and a chocolate torte served with a Chambord cream, raspberries and blueberries. Chef Peters took a bow at the end of the evening and introduced the Vieux Carré kitchen and waitstaff as some of the best he has ever worked with.

Between courses, James Blanchard explained the origins of his family’s winemaking venture and his philosophy that wine is meant to be shared with family and friends. James, an Army military helicopter pilot and his brother bonded over the shared love of wine and realized their dream of establishing a family-run winery in California. Blanchard Family Wines has created a Wine Club and will ship wines in Spring and Fall to members.

Twin City Ballet Company was honored to be partnered with Vieux Carré Market for the North Delta Food and Wine Festival. To cap off the evening, the Nagems and Vieux Carré Market, along with Blanchard Family Wines, presented a donation to Linda Lou Bourland for the iconic ballet company.