Gloria Ferrer's 3rd Annual Glorious Bites Challenge Opens For Entries August 15th

Do you love food & wine pairing and know how to pull together creative, crowd-pleasing appetizers worthy of a trophy? Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards is searching for the nation's most glorious appetizer recipe to pair with its Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut and it's willing to pay $5,000 to get it! Starting August 15 th, budding home cooks age 21 and over are encouraged to channel their inner-foodie and submit their signature appetizer recipe for the 3 rd annual nationwide Glorious Bites Challenge. Each recipe entered will be reviewed by a panel of wine and food experts based on originality, perceived taste appeal and perceived ability to pair with the award-winning Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut. For official rules, entry deadlines and more please visit www.gloriousbites.com.

Last year, Chera Little of Leander, Texas, beat out over 1,800 entries to take home the grand prize for her recipe for Miso-Maple Glazed Cod Wonton-Cho's with Crispy Bok Choy Slaw. This year, twelve semi-finalists will be chosen from all entrants to participate in three live cook-off events scheduled around the country that will culminate in the Glorious Bites Challenge Finals at Gloria Ferrer Winery in Sonoma, California. Tickets for all events are available now! Events include plenty of cookoff excitement, special guests, delicious Gloria Ferrer wines, savory bites and a cooking demonstration by Keynote Judge and Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company Executive Chef Jennifer Luttrell. Event details below:

Boston, MA Glorious Bites Challenge Semi-Final Cookoff
Tuesday, October 3 rd, 6-8pm
Divine Design Center
2 Battery Wharf, Boston, MA 02109

Minneapolis, MN Glorious Bites Challenge Semi-Final Cookoff
Thursday, October 5 th,6-8pm
Kitchen Window
Calhoun Square, 3001 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55408

Denver, CO Glorious Bites Challenge Semi-Final Cookoff
Saturday, October 7 th, 6-8pm
BAC Appliance Center
1880 W. Oxford Ave. Englewood, CO 80110

Sonoma, CA 2017 Glorious Bites Challenge Finals
Saturday, October 14 th, 6-8:30 pm
Gloria Ferrer Winery
23555 Hwy 121 (Arnold Dr.), Sonoma, CA 95476

Our Signature Bite from Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company
Gloria Ferrer is happy to once again partner with its Sonoma County neighbor, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company, for the Glorious Bites Challenge. The secret to all the cheeses made on the farm lies in the unique combination of 3 key ingredients: Grade A milk from a closed herd of Holstein cows that graze on the pastures overlooking Tomales Bay, the coastal fog and the salty Pacific breezes. Our three Glorious Bites Finalists will get to see the farm as VIPs and enjoy a five-course dinner the evening before the Glorious Bites Final Event prepared by Executive Chef Jennifer Luttrell.

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. For the second year in a row, she will serve as our Keynote Judge at each Gloria Ferrer Glorious Bites Challenge event and has created a delicious signature appetizer using the iconic Point Reyes Original Blue! Get inspired with her recipe for Point Reyes Original Blue and Caramelized Biscuits with Fig Jam here.

Special Guest Judges
In addition to our Keynote Judge, Gloria Ferrer has tapped three social media foodies from around the country to serve as special guest judges at each of this year's semi-finals events:

Susie Williams Glorious Bites Competition Semi Finals, Boston
Susie Williams started blogging to show the world that cooking and baking good food doesn't have to be difficult. Most importantly, it should be fun. She's been sharing original recipes for meals, baked goods, cocktails, and more on We are not Martha for ten years. Susie's recipes have appeared in publications such as The Huffington Post and Bon Apptit, and she has been a regular contributor to Parade magazine and PBS Food. Her culinary icon is Martha Stewart, of course! Her favorite guilty pleasure? Absolutely anything involving peanut butter. And cheese. Probably not together. But maybe.

Kim Ly Curry-Glorious Bites Competition Semi Finals, Minneapolis
Born and raised in Minneapolis, Kim Ly Curry has two passions capturing beautiful things on camera and a love of great food. She has successfully combined these two loves into one via social media. Kim scours the Twin Cities and beyond for the best eats and as her appetite for great food has grown, so has her following on her Instagram account, considered one of the city's best. Kim enjoys variety, engaging with an array of chefs, cuisines and cooking styles. I consider them artists, she says. I truly respect their craft and they are a constant inspiration."

Erin Sellin Glorious Bites Competition Semi-Finals, Denver
Erin Sellin is a self-professed casual home cook that loves to feed people. A cooking enthusiast her entire life, she began her blog Dinners, Dishes, and & Desserts in 2011 as a source for deliciousness and every day meal planning. Today, Erin boasts hundreds of thousands of devoted followers and fans eager for her homemade, from-scratch sweet and savory recipes that take you from breakfast to happy hour and beyond. When she's not in her kitchen, you can find her traveling the world or exploring the mountains of Colorado with her family.

About Gloria Ferrer
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 mthode traditionelle winemaking traditions and centuries-old sustainable practices. Gloria Ferrer produces the most awarded California sparkling wines that have won over 500 gold medals and received 50 outstanding 90+ point ratings in the last 5 years.

Images and Logos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gkzgj8f71frsvvy/AACijeuG3gJ8RpFBFa-4oPwYa?dl=0

Glorious Bites sizzle reel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_rps1m86uk

Get inspired by our recipe database, including recipes from previous year's winners: http://gloriaferrer.com/recipes

Get tips on how to pair sparkling wine with food: https://www.gloriaferrer.com/blog/recipes-2/gloria-ferrer-the-perfect-appetizer-wine/

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