Teller’s triumphant tasting is a sellout once again
The rather unassuming Teller Wines store on Savannah Road in Lewes has certainly come into its own with the remarkable success of last week’s 2015 Teller Wines Expo. The event was conceived in 2011 by former owner Steve Kogler to benefit the Lewes Farmers Market, one of the main outlets for his delicious Old World Breads. Kogler has since sold Teller Wines to Kevin and Catherine Hester, and Old World Breads to Keith Irwin (also known as the bread whisperer). But the Wine Expo lives on! In fact, this year’s event sold out almost two weeks before the big day!
Kevin and Catherine chose two worthy causes to benefit from the auctions and a portion of ticket sales. Funds raised by the live auction, as well as a portion of the ticket sales, went to the new Lewes Public Library capital campaign. It’s no secret that the existing library’s physical space has been outpaced by population growth and a shift in demographics, and Teller Wines wants to help create a brand new library better suited to the Cape Region’s evolving needs. The live auction deserves special mention, because Delaware Realty’s primary broker and auctioneer Richard Bryan lent his talents to spirited bidding for three very special bottles of wine. The first was a 750ml (normal size) bottle of 2009 Black Coyote Reserve Cabernet. The bottle fetched a tidy $125. A jeroboam (a really big bottle) of Bogle Phantom (2011) sold for $225, and a Methuselah (a really, REALLY big bottle) of Duckhorn Merlot (1997) brought in a whopping $675.
The proceeds from the 50/50 raffle and the silent auction (which included lots of fun wine tchotchkes and even a few tickets to EatingRehoboth.com food tours) went to Coastal Concerts, a nonprofit, volunteer organization founded 15 years ago to bring classical music to Lewes. The program has since expanded to include local performances by world renowned musicians, a scholarship program and a series of in-school concerts to introduce Sussex youth to live classical music.
The generosity of local restaurants and caterers was evident in the form of tasty bites lining the outer perimeter of the Lewes Yacht Club event room. Chef Aaron Berg and owner John Donato of The Buttery offered a variety of wild game charcuterie, rabbit pâté with kumquat marmalade as well as Aaron’s smoked blackberry jam. Gary and Lorraine Papp (soon to be the proprietors of Palate Café in the Safeway Shopping Center) served up poached salmon and Lorraine’s famous chocolate tangerine crème brûlée.
Lewes Yacht Club’s Executive Chef Ted Deptula put out crunchy seafood wontons, Caesar salad deviled eggs and cheesecake éclairs, while Rob Bagley and Viviane Morrison of Michy’s Relaxed Dining distributed Chef Richard Davis’ shrimp crostini with salsa. Pastry expert Dru Tevis, Nage manager Mark Harrison and catering/marketing guru Kat Pritchett fed us potato gnocchi, Dru’s cake truffles and inimitable salted chocolate chunk blondies. I need to start calling this guy the “sugar whisperer.”
The always smiling Patty Gandy Jacobs of Patty’s Carryout in Georgetown teamed up with her right-hand-man Doug Roach to grill up gouda and cheddar sandwiches with smoked salmon dip and crispy bagel chips. Jen “bowtime showtime” Meyers of Plate Catering created a trio of crostini, including eggplant/bell pepper caponata and wild mushroom ragout. Bob “Big Cip” Ciprietti did his best Tony Soprano imitation (he’s not very good at it) as he held court behind Touch of Italy’s gigantic antipasto platter and mountains of those not-to-be-missed Italian cookies.
Wine distributors on hand included Bacchus Importers, Country Vintner, Dops Inc., Lanterna Distributors, Prestige Beverage Group, Regal Wine Imports, Southern Wine & Spirits, Specialty Wines, Sussex Wine Merchants and Vintage Imports. Each and every one of them offered multiple tastes from multiple bottles. That being said, it’s no surprise that a good time was had by all.
