Wine is the Opening Act: New Series for Hollywood Bowl Goers is Free

by Gabe Saglie, Senior Editor, Travelzoo
story published in the Santa Barbara News-Press on 7/20/17

Caroline Styne at the Hollywood Bowl (credit: Paul Devlin, Sodexo)

For many Hollywood Bowl concert goers this summer, a new wine series is like music to their ears.

As of late July, visitors to what is one of the hottest concert venues in L.A. are getting a chance to sip before they sit. The Wednesday Winemaker Series features upscale, hand-crafted wines poured by the people who made them, and it’s complimentary. A few weeks ago, for example, guests tasted Ojai Vineyard wines poured by winemaker Fabien Castel and boutique international selections by Garber & Co.’s Sandy Garber before the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and a cavalcade of guests paid tribute to Dizzy Gillespie and Ella Fitzgerald.

“I feature wines at that are made by artisan domestic and international producers that are fairly small production and that grow their grapes with attention to environmental sustainability,” says Caroline Styne, the four-time James Beard Restaurateur of the Year nominee who handpicked all the wines featured this summer. “This winemaker series allows me to bring the winemakers themselves to the Bowl, to interact with our ticket holders and bring our guests more deeply into the wine experience. It definitely makes the wine life at the Bowl more intimate and individualized.”

The Hollywood Bowl (photo courtesy of Travelzoo)

The series is the latest chapter in what’s been a culinary renaissance at the Hollywood Bowl – a revolution of gourmet proportions led by Styne and her business partner, celeb chef and James Beard Award winner Suzanne Goin. The pair took over the Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine project last year, and foodies have flocked to the Bowl ever since as much for the fare as for the music.

Goin and Styne are a draw in and of themselves, to be sure; the pair has been an L.A. gastronomic powerhouse ever since they launched their flagship restaurant, Lucques, in 1998. But at the Bowl, the proof is in the pudding, and the two have total creative control over the more than a dozen food and wine concepts that are now an integral part of the Hollywood Bowl experience. They run two restaurants, including the backyard, where al fresco dining is fueled by two wood-burning grills and a menu of summer salads, grilled meats and seafood and an extensive raw bar. At The Wine Bar at a.o.c., artisanal charcuterie and farmers’ plates are matched with an impressive wine list curated by Styne.

the backyard at The Hollywood Bowl (photo courtesy the L.A. Phil)

Also on the Bowl menu for Goin and Styne: Supper in Your Seats, pre-order and customizable three-course dinners that visitors can enjoy at their box seats; Lucques at the Circle, full service dining for upper-tier subscribers; Kitchen 22, made-to-order American standards like burgers and sandwiches; Buzz McCoy’s Marketplace and Sushi, a west-of-stage option featuring grab-and-go sandwiches and salads along with premium sushi; and a slew of street food kiosks that specialize in everything from BBQ, tacos and pizza to gourmet snacks like popcorn and nachos. Goin and Styne are also charged with the popular picnic pre-orders and the brand new  Plaza Marketplace inside the renovated Box Office Plaza, with options like rotisserie chicken, barbecued beef brisket, cheese plates, craft beers and wines.

Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine is part of a 10-year contract with Goin and Styne that ends in 2025 and is a joint partnership with the L.A. Philharmonic Association and the corporate services company, Sodexo Sports & Leisure.
 

This "Moroccan Feast" is available from the Supper in Your Seats menu (credit: Dylan + Jeni)

The Wednesday Winemaker Series is another perk for concert goers, but also a boon for winemakers. Sure, with the Bowl’s seating capacity of about 17,000, they could have plenty of pouring to do. But this puts them before a captive audience that trends toward the sophisticated, toward spending more on products they love and toward appreciating artists. And for the mostly Santa Barbara-based winemakers featured this summer, it also connects them with the holy grail of drive market consumers: Angelenos.

Gray Hartley will pour at the Bowl Aug. 30 (credit: Bob Dickey)

“I happen to feel that some of the most exciting domestic wine development is happening in Santa Barbara and along the Central Coast,” Styne told me this week. “There are a number of talented people really making their mark in that area and making really fantastic wines. I think that a lot of people here in Los Angeles are taking notice of this and are excited about supporting local winemakers.  And yes, these people also happen to be super lovely humans and their wines are some of my personal favorites!”

The Wednesday Winemaker Series continues through September 13th. Santa Barbara-inspired highlights include: Chad Melville of Melville Winery pouring ahead of a concert by Herbie Hancock and Kamasi Washington on Aug. 23; Gray Hartley of Hitching Post Wines sharing his wines before jazz greats Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, St. Paul & The Broken Bones and Lake Street Dive take the stage on Aug. 30; and Black Sheep Finds, the masterminds behind the Sta. Rita Hill's Hocus Pocus and Holus Bolus labels, pouring before a star-studded jazz tribute to Quincy Jones on Sep. 6.

Winemakers pour and mingle with guests at the Plaza Marketplace from 5-7pm, with concerts beginning at 8pm. Featured wines are also poured at the bar in front of Kitchen 22.

For more information on how Goin and Styne have transformed dining at the Hollywood Bowl, visit hollywoodbowl/foodandwine.

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