April 2025, St. Helena, Napa Valley – More than 200 people attended Appellation St. Helena’s 14th Annual bASH event on April 5 at The Culinary Institute of America Greystone, in St. Helena. bASH is an annual wine and food pairing competition where the wines from nineteen ASH member wineries are paired with savory bites prepared by teams of ‘rising star’ students at the CIA.  Judges included respected professional chefs, such as Ken Frank. Attendees voted for their favorites in several categories. 

Participating wineries were Anomaly Vineyards, Calafia Wines, Chase Cellars, CourAvant, Hall Wines, Mending Wall, Monticello Vineyards, Saint Helena Winery, Raymond Vineyards, Shibumi Knoll Vineyards, Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery, Taplin Cellars, The Crane Assembly, Vineyard 29, Young Inglewood, Salvestrin, AXR Napa Valley, Titus Vineyards and Varozza Vineyards.

One highlight of the event is how meticulously the food ‘bites’ are presented, using edible flowers, ‘smoke’ (from dry ice!) and deep spoons with long handles. “Our students look forward to bASH every year,” said Chef Daniel Kedan, Assistant Professor of Culinary Arts, CIA. “It is an amazing opportunity for them to challenge themselves, build relationships, network and just have some fun. This year was one of the best yet,” he added.

“This annual event featuring St. Helena area wines and tomorrow's star chefs draws guests from all over the U.S. as well as neighbors from our own community,” commented Lesley Russell, Board member of Appellation St. Helena and General Manager, Saint Helena Winery. “It's one of the most entertaining, delicious and inspiring wine and food events I've experienced. The CIA students are incredible to work with,” she added.

CIA Chef Lars Kronmark was the founding chef of the event when it began in 2012 and 2025 is his final bASH.

The Professional Judges selected these entries as winners:

First place: Young Inglewood, Braised Oxtail with Curtido and Tomato Caviar, prepared by Adriel Maravilla (hometown Pinole CA), Brenda Mendina Ruiz (John’s Creek GA) and Emma Rosinski (Gig Harbor WA). The wine was 2012 Young Inglewood Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Second place: Hall Wines, Crimson Conejo, prepared by Valeria Leon (Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico), Sophia Faucett (Las Vegas NV) and Jose Avila (San Diego CA). The wine was Hall Winery’s 2020 Coeur. 

Third place: Monticello Vineyards, Prime Truffle Toast, prepared by Matthew Reyes (Bremerton WA), Ana Jimenez-Nava (Burlington WA) and Ayden O’Brien (Ft. Collins CO). The wine was Monticello Vineyards, 2009 Yewell St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon.

The winners of the popular vote are:

First place: Spottswoode Estate, Braised Lamb Arancini, prepared by Hayden James (Santa Ana CA), Jed Anezil (Petaluma CA) and Leah Madrigal (Sacramento CA). The wine was Spottswoode Estate 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Second place: Raymond Vineyards, Tuna Hand Roll, prepared by Anabel Lallouz (Miami FL), Syriana Davis (Tacoma WA) and Hannah Howard (Beavercreek OR). The wine was Raymond Vineyards, 2023 Small Lot Sauvignon Blanc.

Third place: Titus Vineyards, Steak and Sunchoke Skewer, prepared by Alexys Milburn (Folsom CA), Rosalie Sackett (Benicia CA) and Damariye Daniels (Fairfield CA). The wine was Titus 2022 Cabernet Franc. 

ASH partnered with the Culinary Institute of America and the St. Helena Chamber of Commerce. ASH thanks Sunshine Market and Le Creuset for their generous donations and support. Proceeds from the evening go to Appellation St. Helena and the scholarship fund of the Culinary Institute of America.

APPELLATION ST. HELENA

St. Helena has the distinction of being the birthplace of Napa Valley’s commercial wine industry with Dr. Crane’s cellar founded in 1859, David Fulton’s in 1860 and Charles Krug’s in 1861. The St. Helena American Viticultural Area, or appellation, was officially approved in 1995 and in 2004, the vintners who had worked together to get the AVA approved established a group to promote the growing region, today called Appellation St. Helena. The group focuses on promoting the quality of grapes grown and wines produced in the St. Helena AVA.

Appellation St. Helena is comprised of roughly 12,000 acres, of which approximately 6,800 are planted to grapes, more than any other AVA in the Napa Valley. More than 400 different vineyards are located within the appellation and the Association has 64 members.

The boundaries form an hourglass shape, and the middle section represents the narrowest width in the Napa Valley, where the Mayacamas and Vaca Mountain ranges nearly meet. The AVA is a mosaic of alluvial fans and 21 different soil types. The soils here are created from centuries of erosion of run-off from mountain hillsides and the Napa River and its ancient tributaries.

Grape growing in the St. Helena appellation dates back to the Mexican land grants in the 1840s when General Vallejo gave Edward Bale a wedding gift of property. Bale and his bride promptly planted vineyard on their property. By 1880, over 100 people were making wine in St. Helena. While many types of grapes excel in St. Helena, the most frequently cultivated are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel, and Sauvignon Blanc.

Board members are Torey Battuello, Julia Jinks, Myriah Mutrux, Eric Risch, Lesley Keffer Russell, Katie Simpson, Sylvia Taplin and Dave Yewell.