Wine and Dine

Vashon Winery owner and winemaker Ron Irvine is collaborating with Chef Carly Ward at Nirvana Modern Cuisine & Libations, to create a 5 course wine dinner as a fundraiser for the Vashon Island Public Schools Foundation. VIPSF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit created in 2010 to address the steady decrease in state funding for public schools. Their mission is to raise the financial support necessary to provide the education that our children deserve.
 
Each course of the dinner will be skillfully paired with a unique wine. The appetizer will be served with a dry cider, then the following courses will be presented with: a dry sparkling white wine from Puget Sound grapes; then an exciting new white wine from the Aligote grape; then a couple of reds including Vashon-grown Pinot Noir; and finishing with the Vashon Winery Reserve Red.
 
Vashon Winery wines are described as elegant and deeply flavored. Ron Irvine is a veteran of the Northwest wine industry. He began in 1975 as the founding managing partner of Pike and Western Wine Shop in Seattle. Ron co-wrote and published The Wine Project about Washington wineries. Vashon Winery is a tiny "garagiste" winery producing less than 600 cases of wine annually. Garagiste is a name used in the Bordeaux region of France to describe garage-size wineries that make exceptional wines without owning their own vineyards. About his wines, Irvine says "Our wines are food-friendly. They don’t overwhelm the flavor of the food or overwhelm the imbiber with high alcohol and their flavors complement and harmonize nicely with the food."
 
Nirvana’s Chef Carly Ward knows how to match intricate wine flavors with a wide range of ingredients. With a degree in Culinary Arts, Carly has worked professionally at a catering company, McCormick & Schmick’s and Chez Gaudy in Seattle, and previously was a chef at The Hardware Store Restaurant on Vashon. Carly grows fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables at Vashon’s Humble Bumble Farm with her mother and enjoys preparing dishes with fresh Island produce when it’s available. About the event Ward says "I’m really looking forward to creating this dinner. Ron and I had been talking about an event like this and a conversation at Nirvana with Vashon School District Superintendent Michael Soltman inspired us to have it be a fundraiser for our schools."
 
Nirvana has been serving Pacific Northwest and Global cuisine since last fall when it changed from an Indian restaurant. Nirvana owners Rohit and Shivali Sharma are honored to be hosting this fundraising dinner. "We strongly believe in this wonderful island community we call home and know that education is extremely important for Vashon’s future" Shivali says.
 
VIPSF Board member Don Wolczko wholeheartedly agrees and says "We at the Schools Foundation are most delighted and excited to have the support of this benefit dinner at Nirvana. We on the board feel that our cause is crucial for the entirety of the community, and welcome the talents and generosity of Vashon Winery and Nirvana in helping us help our schools and community. Cheers!"
 
The wine dinner to benefit the Vashon Schools Foundation costs $70 per person (not including gratuity) and tickets may be purchased at Nirvana. Information is available by visiting Nirvana or calling 463-4455 during their regular hours, 3 to 9pm weekdays and 8am to 9pm weekends, or online at NirvanaVashon.com.