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An American Legacy
article by Katheryn Freeberg THE NAPA VALLEY in California remains reposed in primeval splendor, disturbed only by the occasional humming of diesel tour busses and the bustle of road construction along California Highway 29 as it runs a gentle thread through the heart of the Wine Country. The valley is filled with mirthful laughter through the cool night and a sweet perfume from crushing of the grapes lilts along the morning breezes. It is harvest time in the Napa Valley, and the season for the Cakebread Winery’s American Harvest Workshop. American Harvest Workshop is well-named. This 19-year-old annual study and festivity reaches into the Valley’s sweet earth and celebrates its bounty of grape, produce, stock, and game. It matches the art of fine chefs across America with the resplendent wines of Cakebread Cellars and the products of the Northern California Region to create a magnificent union of wine and cuisine. Jack Cakebread, founder, chairman, and CEO of Cakebread Cellars, first established the Workshop in 1986 over a dinner with Bill Shoaf of the Remington Hotel in Houston, Texas. They discussed the importance of understanding the relationship of wine and food and its impact on a healthy lifestyle. Since then, more than 300 of the nation’s leading chefs, purveyors, and dining experts have graduated from the American Harvest Workshop with an enlightened concept of wine- and food-pairing. Each year, the Workshop is adapted and refined with emphasis on health and the pleasure of fine dining. Jack Cakebread is a man who continually raises the standard of accomplishment. In 1973, Jack was photographing the Napa Valley for The Treasury of American Wines when he stopped by a friend’s house for lunch. By the end of the day, he had purchased the initial Cakebread Vineyard’s 22 acres from his friend and was in the winemaking business — to which he and his wife, Dolores, commuted on weekends to maintain and develop for 19 years. Cakebread Cellars is one of the few remaining family-owned vineyards in the Napa Valley. Every inch of the now-311 acres and every drop of their superior wine is a testimony of their commitment to excellence. Wine experts and journalist have heralded Cakebread Cellars as producers of world-class wines since its inception. “We have a saying here,” Cakebread said looking thoughtfully beyond the wide, glass windows of his Rutherford office and over his stately redwood winery, before glancing brightly at Dolores, “‘one heart beat.’” That commitment is evident in the quality of the Cakebread grape and the lovely variety of luscious wines. This family is truly a legend in their own time, a legend that continues to grow as they now expand their vineyards to Howell Mountain. The closely knit Cakebreads are a suprising paradox — elegant, yet down-to-Earth and industrious. Their hospitality is paramount. Jack serves as chairman and founder, and Dolores serves as the co-founder and executive vice-president of Culinary and Ambience. Son Bruce Cakebread |
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