A Delightful Master of Wine Tuesday at Ray's Boathouse

ZINO Society members Sandra Fowler, Brad Vancour
and Randa Mirkovich

Last evening ZINO Society members and guests joined Ken and me along with Wine Gurus, Greg Lill of DeLille Cellars and Stacy Lill of O Wines at Ray's Boathouse for a beautiful Master of Wine food and wine tasting event.  Ray's Senior Catering Manager, Amy Stevens worked with Catering Chef David Saunders, to develop an evening that featured Northwest food and wine including fresh chanterelle mushrooms foraged by Chef Markus Donier.

Cathi Hatch, Chef David Saunders, Amy Stevens

It was an intimate evening with room for 20 guests seated at a long table sparkling with dozens of wine glasses centered in front of the blazing fireplace.  One of the members attending was Sandra Fowler, who had definitely travelled the furthest to attend since she flew over from Tri Cities just for the evening.  We also welcomed new Elite Roundtable member, Randa Minkarah, who was attending her first ZINO Society event and Brad Vancour, long-time ZINO Society member who has probably attended the most Master of Wine events over the years.  We also welcomed back returning member, Bruce Sanchez, who has recently relocated back in Seattle from California.  We had a very interesting discussion about his new book which has something to do with the bell curve of a marriage.

Greg Lill

Stacy Lill

Mary Holmes, Lisa Mikesell, Cindy Hales

It was also fun to see and catch up with members Michael Zachary, Elisabeth Bodal, who admitted to the group that she is an emigrant (gasp!), Denny Dochnahl, who was there with one of his and Bernie's "daughter-type persons", Dehanna Jones, and ZINO Society sponsor members, Darlin Gray, David Riley, Lisa Mikesell and Cindy Hales.  We also welcomed members Eden & Hank Waggoner and recent ZZIF sponsor, Irene Retel.

Greg and Stacy shared some of their background and history about getting into the wine business and Stacy once again gave Ken credit for introducing them to one another.  Ken really is a successful male version of a "yenta"!

The menu food and wine pairings were delightful:

Reception

O Wines Chardonnay 2009

Alaskan Sockeye Salmon

ginger meringue, lemongrass cream

Pleasant Valley Gouda Wafer

Dinner Menu

DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate Blanc 2010

Chatham Strait Sabelfish in Sake Kasu

jasmine rice, honey, soy an scallion oil

O Wines Red Blend 2007

Warmed Escarole Salad

chevre, dried cherries, crispy bacon, pecans, shallot vinaigrette

Doyenne AIX 2008

Braised Port & Green Lentil Stew

DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate Red 2008

Open-Faced Sirloin and Mushroom Slider

carmelized shallots, espresso demi-glace

Doyenne Syrah 2008

Double Chocolate Emmer Bites

Roquefort Blue Cheese   

A big THANK YOU is in order for Amy, David and Markus of Ray's Boathouse and their team and Stacy and Greg of DeLille Cellars and O Wines.  Cheers!

Bruce Sanchez, Mary Holmes, David Riley

Impressive Gathering of Angels and VCs

Atlas to ZINO Investor Open House

On Tuesday evening, Atlas Accelerator and ZINO Society co-hosted the Atlas to ZINO Investor Open House,  inviting 23 funded and companies seeking funding to present to 100 Angel Investors and VCs.  Though ZINO Society merely assisted Atlas Accelerator in producing their event, of the 23 Atlas Accelerator clients presenting, it was interesting to note that 15 had also previously been through the ZINO Society screening and coaching processes presented to ZINO Society Angel Investor Roundtable members at monthly investment meetings and/or investment forums and 5 had received some funding through ZINO Society.

Bill Furlong of Escapia opened the evening speaking about the inherent optimism of entrepreneurs and investors while Bill McAleer of Voyager Capital was the final speaker providing data on the "lost decade" and the return to normalcy or ROI for investors.

bin on the Lake Master of Wine Monday

Chef Paul Hyman & Manager Darren Nicholas

On Monday evening, ZINO Society partnered with bin on the Lake to produce a Master of Wine Monday featuring a "Tour de France" tasting menu.  Chef Paul Hyman and Manager Darren Nicholas worked together to offer a six course menu featuring wines of France and a menu that combines the best of the Northwest with classic French cooking.

Brad Vancour, Brian Vowinkel

Eden & Hank Waggoner, Mary Holmes

Mike Vanderslice, Paul Hagen

Laura Hagen, Robin Carmichael

Attending the event were long-time ZINO Society Roundtable members, Melanie Correy-Ferrini, Brian Vowinkel and Brad Vancour along with new Roundtable members Heather Sullivan and Mike Vanderslice and ZINOpreneur members Anthony Grove and recent ZINO Life Investment Forum Fund winner, Paul Hagen and his wife, Laura.  Also attending were member Giuseppe Mascarella and brand-new members, Eden & Hank Waggoner and business sponsor members, David Sullivan of Pan Pacific Hotel and wife, Susan along with David Riley of Garvey, Schubert and Barer.  Guests included Irene Retel of Mont Blanc and Robin Carmichael.

Cathi Hatch, Heather Sullivan

Anthony Grove, David Riley

The menu was amazing and included the following courses:

Spring Onion Blini

Housemade Crème Fraiche, Columbia River Salmon Caviar

Antoine De Clairvoy Brut, Reims

Charcuterie

  Boudin Noir, Kurobuta Pork Rillette, Smoked Prosciutto, Duck Serrano

Cornichons, Moutarde Violette, Medjool Date Confiture 

2006 Francois Chidaine, Clos de Breuil, Montlouis-sur-loire

Steel Head Trout Amandine

Parsnip Mousseline, Haricots Verts, Marcona Almonds, Buerre Noisette

1998 Leroy Bourgogne Blanc

Lyonnaise Salad

Marble Potatoes, Pasture Raised Egg, Lardons, Frisee, Leek Vinaigrette

2005 Coudelet de Beaucastel, Rhone Valley

Dakota Organic Filet Au Poivre

 Black Truffle Pomme Gratin, Glace’ Asparagus, Ragout Forestiere 

Cognac Peppercorn Crème

2004 Chateau Bel-Air Royere, Bordeaux

Mignardises

Key Lime Tartlets, Apple Tart Tartin, Chocolate Torte

2007 Chateau De Cosse, Sauternes

February 2011 Roundtable Meeting Programming

February 2011 Roundtable Meeting Luncheon, Bellevue

This past week, we produced two successful ZINO Society Roundtable Investment meetings on Tuesday evening at our sponsor host of the evening, Foster Pepper and Thursday lunch at Harbor Club Bellevue to showcase four entrepreneurs who were seeking capital, mentoring and referrals by presenting their businesses to ZINO Society  Elite Roundtable Members, Associate Roundtable Members and Sponsor Members.  The four  featured ZINOpreneurs included Mhairi Veolsgen of BroVO Spirits, Damien Wilson of MyTown Inc., David Sypniewski of Skora Athletics, LLC and Bill Kallman of Scayl.

Bob Toomey, ZINOpreneur Damien Wilson, Gary Wilson

At the Tuesday evening event, we also showcased keynote speaker, John Kueber, COO/Group Publisher for Tiger Oak Media, a provider of regional media including Seattle Business Magazine and over a dozen other major events, web sites, and media projects on the west coast, who shared with us some of the trends, predictions and pitfalls facing business today.  His predictions included Governor Gregoire being re-elected, Mayor McGinn being defeated, and the Huskies winning their upcoming season 8-4. 

Ken Hatch and ZINOpreneur Mhairi Voelsgen

And we also featured new ZINO Society Wine Professional Member, Jay Dewitt of Dumas Station Wines, a small, family-owned winery focused on creating Bordeaux-varietal red wines with grapes from their estate Walla Walla vineyard. One of the wines being poured was their 2006 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon which received 93 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.

Let the Good Times Roll!



Lisa Silver, Cathi Hatch, Dan Gerrity



Master of Wine Monday Guests


Last night, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in the elegant Grand Hyatt Hotel hosted our ZINO Society Master of Wine Monday.  We were greeted with a glass of bubbly by Ruth's Chris Manager and Wine Director, Kris Owens who then gave us the opportunity to try our palates on a blind wine tasting "game" as the guests were gathering.  Our job was to determine whether the wine was Old or New World, what the predominant grape was or whether it was a blend, who was the vintner and what vintage.  Several people were able to determine that the wine was New World and that the predominant grape was Cabernet Sauvignon and that the vintage was likely 2007.  The wine turned out to be Greg Harrington's excellent 2007 Gramercy Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon.

Twenty-two ZINO Society members and guests enjoyed a beautiful evening of delicious "N'Awlins-style" food from the kitchen of Chef Ian Branning, paired with fine wines and excellent service.  I don't normally care for Chardonnay, but was pleasantly surprised at how well the Zanzibar Playa Sol Chardonnay paired with the slightly smoky and spicy bacon-wrapped scallop with root vegetables.

Wine Director Kris Owens, Cathi Hatch, Chef Ian Branning

Wine Director Kris provided information about the food and wine as we proceeded through the courses.  Though everyone was clearly having a great time, ZINO Society Elite Roundtable Members, Alex Camara and Lisa Silver, developed a plan to have guests rotate seating midway through dinner which raised the fun factor and noise level even several more decibels.

The food was beautifully presented with strong, flavorful components.  My favorite course was the Filet with Bleu Cheese Crust and just a drizzle of Bearnaise sauce on the plate.  It was also paired with my favorite wine of the evening which was the Napa Valley 2006 Signorello Cabernet Sauvignon.  The entire experience was really outstanding and I would highly recommend Ruth's Chris Steakhouse as an excellent option for future private parties.  See the full menu below.

WINE AND FOOD PAIRINGS

Shrimp Remoulade

Mango, Celery & Seared Lemon

2007 Zanzibar Gabi Sauvignon Blanc Columbia Valley

Bacon Wrapped Scallop

Roasted Root Vegetables & BBQ Butter

2007 Zanzibar Playa Sol Chardonnay Columbia Valley

Filet Mignon with Bleu Cheese Crust

Béarnaise & Julienne Potatoes

2006 Signorello Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Braised Short Ribs

Sweet Potato Casserole & New Orleans BBQ Sauce

2008 William Church Bishop's Blend Columbia Valley

Chocolate Sin Cake

N.V. Heitz Cellars Ink Grade Port

Welcome Jamee Nunnelee!

Jamee Nunnelee

As part of recent organizational changes at ZINO Society, I am so pleased to welcome our new Vice President of Membership, Jamee Nunnelee, to the Z-Team!

Jamee is a Seattle native who spent the better portion of her childhood sailing around the world with her family.  Through these experiences her life’s passion has been on relationship building and connecting ideas and people. Jamee has worked in luxury real estate,  green commercial real estate and hi-tech. She also had a small catering business on Bainbridge Island and therefore loves fine food and wine in textbook ZINO style! In fact, she is a past ZINO Society Social member.

She enjoys philanthropy and her current focus is on the Seattle Art Museum Supporters organizing fundraisers for SAM. She is an avid tennis player, has a wonderful son named Kai and two miniature (very old) dachshunds.  She is excited to meet all the ZINO Society Roundtable, Social, ZINOpreneur, Sponsor, VC Financial and Wine Professional members to help promote new business in our community. 

If you are already a ZINO Society member or interested in finding out more about ZINO Society membership, please click here to send Jamee an email of introduction.  I know that she is eager to hear from you!

ZINO Team and Birthday Celebration at the Needle

Robin, Mary, Kristie, Cathi, Jamee, Alex

Following an all-day strategic planning retreat today, we ended the day with a ZINO Society Team holiday dinner at the Sky City Restaurant at the Space Needle.  Most of us had not been to the Space Needle for dinner in many years, but we were very pleasantly surprised with the incredible food and service!

We decided to choose a restaurant that would honor our ZINO Society Passport Unlimited Cards and the Space Needle was one that we knew would feel festive.  Celebrating were ZINO Society Elite Roundtable Member, Alex Camara, who led our retreat, Mary Holmes, Chief Marketing Officer, Kristie Lanum, Chief Dealflow Officer, Robin Moore, Director of Marketing & Events, and our newest team member, Jamee Nunnelee, Vice President of Membershiip.  Barbara was our waitress ("Babs" as Alex addressed her) and did a fantastic job of taking care of our table, even bringing a plate of assorted wine corks so we could play the "cork game".

Akex & "Babs"

We ended the dinner with a birthday dessert for me which came to the table billowing magical clouds of dry ice gas.  Following dinner, I came home to dozens of birthday wishes on email, voice mail and Facebook!  I certainly feel appreciated and celebrated! 

Cleaning up the blogosphere . . .

Well, I don’t know about cleaning up the entire blogosphere, but we are in the process of re-organizing the ZINO Society blog and I look forward to seeing more of the ZINOpreneurs, our Roundtable members, Social members and sponsors, our Wine Professional Members, and ZINO Society events showcased.  Be watching for a morph of my blog and the ZINO Society Showcase blog within the next few weeks.  ZINO Society sponsor, Blaine Millet of WOM10 is leading the update.

In the meantime, I really enjoyed kicking off our new “featured ZINOpreneur” blog posting on the ZINO Society blog with entrepreneur, Ken Berkun of Labels That Talk.  Ken lives in Hawaii and I was surprised when I saw him when he was in town, it was the first time he was not wearing an aloha shirt!  Here is the link to our dialog:  http://bit.ly/cVY4Hd .

Banshee Bungee stretched our minds!

One of the entrepreneurs who presented at the ZINO Society Roundtable Investment meeting this week was Kevin Veon, CEO of Banshee Bungee.  Banshee Bungee has developed a braided bungee that is used for horizontal sports to launch skateboarders, snowboarders and surfers at a 30 mile per hour speed.  See photo of Kevin and me above holding the Banshee Bungee.  The Roundtable members and guests were fascinated with his presentation and enthralled with the video he shared which you can see on their website.  Would you try this? 

4 Entrepreneurs Featured at Recent Roundtable Meeting

This past week on Tuesday and Wednesday, ZINO Society hosted our Roundtable investment meetings at the Seattle and Bellevue Harbor Clubs respectively.  The featured dealflow presentations included iParse, Answers for Elders, Bluzinger and Smart Works.  See photo of the entrepreneurs each getting ready to answer the “burning question” that came as a result of member discussion following their presentations.  From left to right, pictured are Suzanne Perkins and Michael Carossino of Answers for Elders, Bob McCausland and Chris Beer of Bluzinger, Dan Diesso of Smart Works, and Rex Stevens of iParse.  Each company is looking for accredited investors to invest in their businesses to help them achieve their growth plans.

 iParse makes it fast, easy, and inexpensive for medium and small banks to provide mobile banking services to compete with the very large banks.

Answers for Elders is a boomers’ online community social site and portal to provide support, answers and expert resources in helping aging parents.

Bluzinger is building the first ever national location-based mobile advertising network, delivering paperless coupons to end customers.

Smart Works is bringing the “Smart Grid” inside facilities with network friendly circuit and device energy meters that improve energy intelligence.

Our “membership minute” was provided by Roundtable member, Skip Walter (top photo), and he shared tongue-in-cheek advice of 125 ways to lose money in the wine business.  Our keynote speaker was John Bookwalter, Chairman of the Washington Wine Commission and owner and Winemaker for Bookwalter Winery.  John did double duty on Tuesday evening, also pouring his wines as our featured vintner.  See photo above of John pouring wine for guest, Sandy Walsh.  He joked that we were probably expecting him to vacuum the room after the event in addition to his other two roles.  Also featured was Charles Finkel of The Pike Brewing Company pouring his excellent craft beers.

ZINO Society new Members and Coaches

A warm welcome to new ZINO Society Roundtable member, Bill Prater, in the top photo along with guest Barbara Whatley and in lower photo from left to right new Roundtable member and Coach, Skip Walter, along with veteran Coaches, Jackson Weaver and Dave Van Patten.  Our members and those that also take time to coach are so important to the success of our ZINOpreneur Members!  Thank you!