Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 8 - 2013 - 18

Perhaps the most complicated non-food preparation occurs
on a makeshift table behind the kitchen, near the crushpad.
Here, sometimes in the bitter cold, Director of Hospitality
& Events Nitsa Knoll works her magic and assembles floral
centerpieces, table settings and other decorative accents.
Mrs. Knoll (she’s married to our chef) almost always tries to
use fresh flowers from local purveyors, as well as produce
and herbs from the Jordan garden. The result: A bundle of
goodness that brings the outside in, offering guests another
sensory touch of the estate. During one meal this fall, Knoll
opted for a theme of garden-fresh herbs, incorporating basil,
rosemary, and scallions into beautiful table settings. For
another event, she opted for a more floral motif, mixing green
hydrangeas, burgundy dahlias and hypericum berries.
“People come for these meals and they expect it to be all
about the wine and the food,” she says. “Adding little touches
from around the estate subtly reminds our guests that there’s
more to the dining experience in its totality.”

thE ExpEriEnCE BEgins

Finally, after the guests arrive and taste some Chardonnay on
the terrace, they proceed to the dining room and sit down for
lunch. On most days, complex and savory smells wafting out
from the kitchen greet visitors before hospitality attendants
can do so in person. We like to call this foreshadowing.
Over the three hours that follow, four courses are spaced
comfortably—an appetizer, a main, a cheese course and the
dessert. Before each dish, Sommelier Yen or Guest Services
Manager Sean Brosnihan explains a bit about the dish and
wine selected for the pairing.
Overall, from the food to the presentation to the décor to the
wine service, this attention to detail is designed to make our
guests feel truly special.
“We recognize there are a number of places people can choose
to spend their time when they are here in wine country,” Knoll
notes. “The fact that they’ve decided to come and visit us, the
fact that they’re willing to give up an afternoon to experience
life on the estate—it’s something we want to acknowledge
with an experience that makes them feel like the estate is
theirs for the day.”

18
http://www.jordanwinery.com/wines/cabernet_sauvignon/serving
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 8 - 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 8 - 2013
