Gloria Ferrer is offering $5000 for the best appetizer recipe in the country

2nd Annual Glorious Bites Competition Opens for Entries

Sonoma, CA  —Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards, producer of California’s most awarded sparkling wines, is once again searching for the most glorious appetizer recipe in the country to pair with its Sonoma Brut. Budding home cooks age 21 and over are encouraged to channel their inner-foodie and submit their signature appetizer recipe for the 2nd annual nationwide contest. All appetizers will be judged on originality, perceived taste appeal and perceived ability to pair with the Sonoma Brut, a wine that’s been produced by the winery since it was founded 30 years ago.

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Each recipe entered will be reviewed by a panel of wine and food experts to select the top 18 semi- finalists to participate in three live Regional Semi-Final Cook Off events scheduled to take place Los Angeles, California, Washington, DC, and Austin, Texas in September. Only three competitors will move on to the National Finals scheduled for Saturday, October 15, 2016 at Gloria Ferrer Winery in Sonoma, California. For official rules and to enter by August 31, 2016, as well as event ticket information, please visit www.gloriousbites.com.

“After 30 years of great sparkling winemaking, Gloria Ferrer knows that nothing kicks off the start of a terrific gathering with friends and family than bubbles paired with a few small bites,” says Gloria Ferrer Vice President of Marketing Eva Bertran. “Last year’s winner, Donna Wolfe, a reference librarian from Hamilton, New Jersey wowed us with her Fried Lobster & Goat Cheese Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms with Sweet Thai Chili Dipping Sauce. We can’t wait to see your entries this year and we are thrilled to welcome a new panel of judges to help us critique them.”

The Judges

Gloria Ferrer has tapped five expert foodies from around the country to serve as judges at each of this year’s events:

Chef Stuart O’Keeffe—Glorious Bites Semi-Final, Los Angeles, CA
O’Keeffe is an Irish celebrity chef, food writer and TV personality best known for his appearances on Food Network’s Private Chefs of Beverly Hills, NBC’s Today Show, CBS’s The Talk and his AOL series Kitchen Daily 101. His recent cookbook “The Quick Six Fix,” which focuses on recipes that consist of 6 Ingredients, 6 minute Prep and 6 minute Cleanup published by Harper Collins, went to #1 in Cookbooks the first week on Amazon.

Nycci Nellis—Glorious Bites Semi-Final, Washington, D.C.
Nellis is a food and wine journalist whose website, www.TheListAreYouOnIt.com, has been called “one of the DC area’s premier resources for information about all things food and wine in DC and beyond,” by the Washington Post. She is a regularly featured guest on DC’s Fox and CBS affiliates; is co-host of the weekly DC area food and wine radio show, Foodie and the Beast; and is a dominant presence on social media for her thousands of devoted followers.

Linda Nguyen—Glorious Bites Semi-Final, Austin, TX
Nguyen is addicted to travel and delicious bites and sips and has been sharing her adventures in travel and cuisine on her food blog Girl Eats World since 2009. Currently, she also serves on the board of Austin Food Bloggers Alliance.

Sara Deseran—Glorious Bites Finals, Sonoma, CA
Deseran is a longtime San Francisco-based food writer and the editor-at-large for San Francisco magazine. While contributing to magazines such as Saveur, Women’s Health, and C magazine, Deseran has published four cookbooks, most recently Tacolicious (Ten Speed Press). The latter is no coincidence. Today, on top of writing, she works as the Director of Marketing and Branding for Tacolicious, the growing, SF-based restaurant group she co-owns with her husband Joe Hargrave.

Executive Chef Jennifer Luttrell, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company—Glorious Bites Overall Judge Jennifer Luttrell has been the Executive Chef of The Fork, a Culinary and Educational Center on the Giacomini family dairy at Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company in Point Reyes, California, since 2011. As an added bonus to this year’s competition, Gloria Ferrer has partnered with Luttrell to create a delicious appetizer using the iconic Point Reyes Original Blue!

Download custom appetizer recipes from our judges including Luttrell’s perfectly paired Apple-Onion Chutney Point Reyes Original Blue Crostini as well as information on the Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut and full bios for all of our judges at www.gloriousbites.com.

About Gloria Ferrer

A pioneering history and approach to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay have made Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards a leader in California sparkling wine for almost 30 years. Founded in 1986 in Sonoma, California, by the Ferrer family of Spain, Gloria Ferrer combines the best of sparkling winegrowing history with the bounty of the Carneros winegrowing region using time-honored méthode champenoise winemaking traditions and centuries-old sustainable practices. Gloria Ferrer produces the most awarded California sparkling wines that have won over 400 gold medals and received 50 outstanding 90+ point ratings in the last 5 years. Discover the Glorious Life at www.gloriaferrer.com