March 09 - Italian Legend, Masi – Wine Dinner – Think Amarone!

Masi! Masi is one of the very best and most famous wineries in Veneto and very close to the city of Verona. With its deep roots in one of Italy’s best wine regions, Valpolicella, Masi makes quality wines that are an expression of the values of their territory of origin. Think Amarone! We have Tony Apostolakos (a great personal friend – and longtime worldwide spokesperson for Masi) here to help lead the dinner. Masi Winery Info Here These wines are delicious and I will be visiting the area again in April when I will be there for Vinitaly. Learn all about “appassimento”. 🙂 ~~ Fun video on Masi ~~ $94++/person for the 4-course dinner and 5 Masi wines. Dinner starts at 6:45pm and there is a reception at 6:15pm with Tony. Chef Accursio is designing a killer menu to match these wines. Contact us for reservations! info@solarelounge.com

March 04 - Cooking Class: Ravioli and Fresh Pasta from Scratch

Solare’s pasta is made fresh every day – in our kitchen. This is an opportunity to see exactly how Chef Accursio makes that happen! He will teach you all the right techniques to enable you to make the best “pasta fresca” and perfect ravioli. This is a hands-on pasta making class where you will learn the classic dough techniques and so much more. The fun starts at 10:30am at Solare with an Italian-style coffee of your choice and a pastry. Italian wine is served for students interested in “cooking with wine”. – Limit 10 — $75/student that includes the class, wine, and lunch. Contact us for details.

March 02 - Banfi Wine Dinner ~ An Evening in Tuscany – sold out

This is a special Wine Dinner as we have limited it to 16 persons (including Luciano and me!) … and we all sit at one table enjoying great Tuscan wine from Banfi (led by Luciano) that are paired with a fabulous dinner designed and prepared by Chef Accursio. Yes, this Wine Dinner is with the world famous Banfi Winery in Italy. It is a 4-course dinner with 5 Banfi wines from Tuscany … and the wine tasting portion of the dinner is led by Luciano Castiello. Luciano is the official ambassador for Castello Banfi, and unofficial ambassador for Italy’s melody-filled, wine-charmed, “slow food” culture. A wonderful wine+food experience. $110++/person for the 4-course dinner and 5 wines. 6:30pm Dinner. Click here to join us! – Sold Out

February 18 - Cooking Class: Ravioli and Fresh Pasta from Scratch

Solare’s pasta is made fresh every day – in our kitchen. This is an opportunity to see exactly how Chef Accursio makes that happen! He will teach you all the right techniques to enable you to make the best “pasta fresca” and perfect ravioli. This is a hands-on pasta making class where you will learn the classic dough techniques and so much more. The fun starts at 10:30am at Solare with an Italian-style coffee of your choice and a pastry. Italian wine is served for students interested in “cooking with wine”. – Limit 10 — $75/student that includes the class, wine, and lunch. Contact us for details.

February 14 - Valentine’s Day at Solare!

Get ready for Valentine’s Day!! It’s on a Tuesday this year. Make your reservations now as we will sell out for our special dinner this evening. An awesome 4-course dinner designed by Chef Accursio for $69/person. A rose for each couple! Make your reservation here.

February 02 - Curious How to run a Winery? A special Wine Dinner with Bill Powell of Powell Mountain Cellars (postponed!)

Note: we heard today (Jan 31) that we need to postpone this Wine Dinner due to a personal emergency. We will target a new date in the second half of March. OK – this is a really different Wine Dinner – and as you know, we do a lot of fun Wine Dinners here at Solare!! Here is what the evening is all about: I met Bill Powell (founder, owner, winemaker at Powell Mountain Cellars in Paso Robles) about a year ago. and he impressed me completely with his passion for winemaking … the quality of his wines … his knowledge … and the great way that he describes the whole process in such clear and easy-to-understand terms.

So, for this Wine Dinner, Bill will lead what is essentially a “college class” on what it is really like to start and run a winery. There will be 5 sections: 1) why he started Powell Mountain Cellars and what it took to get going, 2) everything you’d like to know on planting and growing the vines, 3) the harvest, 4) fermentation and blending, and 5) cooperage, aging, bottling, and distribution.

If you are curious what it really means to be a winemaker and operate a winery, you definitely want to join this dinner. And Bill’s wines are delicious!! It is a 4-course dinner at 6:45pm with a reception with Bill at 6:15pm. The price for the 4-course dinner and 5 wines is $78/person. Please click here to RSVP.