Healdsburg’s Pig & Pinot
Just as a wick needs a flame, many say “the pig needs Pinot.” For the last nine years, renowned chef Charlie Palmer has hosted Pigs & Pinot at Healdsburg’s Hotel Healdsburg, two days chock full of events that prove just that.
The weekend traditionally kicks off on Friday night with the Taste of Pigs & Pinot, where guests are invited to taste 60 different Pinots from around the world alongside swine-y delights both sweet and savory prepared by Chef Palmer and his team, as well as a “who’s who” of guest chefs from near and far. Chocolate-dipped bacon, anyone?
Saturday’s lineup includes the Tournament of the Pig, an “Iron Chef ”–style cooking competition; the Ultimate Pinot Smackdown, where four master sommeliers must choose only one winner from 16 top Pinot Noirs; Spoonbar’s Swine and Wine dinner; and a gala dinner held at Chef Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen.
Perhaps the only thing more delicious than enjoying expertly prepared pork, paired with world-class Pinot Noirs, all in the wine country gem that is Healdsburg, is knowing that proceeds from the event go to Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign to end childhood hunger in America, as well as funding a scholarship for a Sonoma County resident to attend the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone (St. Helena) and local Sonoma County charities.
This year’s 10th anniversary Pigs & Pinot takes place March 20–21. It’s no surprise that tickets to this swine and wine heaven often sell out before you can click the purchase button on the event’s website. Then again, there’s always next year…
—Erica Oldenski Purdy
