"Sold out, the event is sold out!" I was told by the who's who's at Berryessa Gap before I jumped in the car to head to Winters, CA. The excitement of having the event sold out is a real get as the proceeds were going to the local Winters High School. So in the cold November air locals, foodies, winos and paella fans alike met to watch 12 competitors meet up from all over Northern California in a challenge to find who could run forward with the bragging rights of the best paella!
A Spanish town at it's roots, paella means quite a bit to the town of Winters, as this is the dish of the people - of the masses, and boy was it ever - when the Master of Ceremonies Nick Toma announced "Ok everyone let's eat!" The crowd surged, and formed haphazard lines akin to those in 1st grade. The paella was plated as fast as the spoons could move! Then the procession got down to eating, while I and my fellow judges got down to judging.
A Spanish town at it's roots, paella means quite a bit to the town of Winters, as this is the dish of the people - of the masses, and boy was it ever - when the Master of Ceremonies Nick Toma announced "Ok everyone let's eat!" The crowd surged, and formed haphazard lines akin to those in 1st grade. The paella was plated as fast as the spoons could move! Then the procession got down to eating, while I and my fellow judges got down to judging.
The paellas were comprised of everything from the very traditional (and winning) saffron, chorizo, chicken legs, peppers, and shellfish (mussels, scallops, shrimp) where the more un-traditional were made up of ingredients such as crawdads (hard to eat when your judging), linguica (spicy Italian sausage), and chicken livers. The judges panel was an eclectic mix of food and wine bloggers/ stylists, and formal paella historians - who've been judging the art of paella for years!
The winning sangria was my personal favorite - a juicy fruit forward blend of fresh fruit, spices, and a blending of red wines - the winner was then presented with the "Sangria" jug, the yearly ceremonial prize, and the 1st place paella winner (1st-3rd place awarded) was Addy from Addy's Paella - traditional in style, and the most well prepared among the bunch - this was the first year I noticed the judges in such agreeance on this decision - so the bragging rights were all hers!
So as the event winded down, all the paella was eaten, the wine drunk, and the room (wine storage room) getting colder by the minute we said our goodbyes, congratulated the winners, made our final wine purchases (this is a winery after all), and headed home till next years big event. Last year the biggest surprise was the squid ink in the paella that made it (and my teeth) black! This year it was the crawdad's which were tasty but hard to eat, so the question is what will they think of next year?
The winning sangria was my personal favorite - a juicy fruit forward blend of fresh fruit, spices, and a blending of red wines - the winner was then presented with the "Sangria" jug, the yearly ceremonial prize, and the 1st place paella winner (1st-3rd place awarded) was Addy from Addy's Paella - traditional in style, and the most well prepared among the bunch - this was the first year I noticed the judges in such agreeance on this decision - so the bragging rights were all hers!
So as the event winded down, all the paella was eaten, the wine drunk, and the room (wine storage room) getting colder by the minute we said our goodbyes, congratulated the winners, made our final wine purchases (this is a winery after all), and headed home till next years big event. Last year the biggest surprise was the squid ink in the paella that made it (and my teeth) black! This year it was the crawdad's which were tasty but hard to eat, so the question is what will they think of next year?
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