West
Exploring Maui's West Coast
By Kinley Welly
November 1, 2012
It's hard to have a bad time at The Ritz-Carlton,
Kapalua on Maui's western coast. And yet, in this place of
amazing beauty and exciting beaches, there is one weekend that
ranks as remarkably fun: the June Kapalua Wine and Food
Festival, which uses The Ritz-Carlton as its home base.
It quickly became clear that for many returning visitors, this
is a weekend marked early and in pen on their calendars - for
good reason. A Thursday kickoff event at local institution
Merriman's Kapalua had us trying some wines I knew and loved,
and others I'd never heard of but was excited to learn about.
Friday featured a golf tournament, a panel session on "Pinot
Superstars" (Williams Selyem, Domaine Carneros, Pisoni
Vineyards, Native9, and Scherrer Vineyards), and a lavish grand
tasting on the Beach House Lawn. An education-focused Saturday
followed, with panels on both organic and sparkling wines, as
well as a cooking demonstration, followed by intimate dinners
hosted by various winemakers.
One highlight of the festival was the winemaker dinner we
attended aboard the Trilogy catamaran at sunset. For groups
looking for the opportunity to feel like a real VIP, this is
the excursion to book. For one thing, to board the catamaran,
you file past the very long lines of people waiting to board
the much larger and much more crowded vessels nearby.
The next day there was a Spanish wine seminar and, my personal
favorite, the "Kings of Cabernet" panel, featuring Plumpjack,
Frog's Leap, Ramey Wine Cellars, David Arthur Vineyards, and
Hill Family Estates. That evening, the Seafood Festival created
a relaxed setting in which to mingle with our group and say
goodbye.
Regardless of whether you are drawn to Maui by the wine, by the
sea, or by business, The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua provides an
ideal place to stay. The property recently underwent a
$180-million renovation and now offers 463 guest rooms, a
17,500-square-foot spa, more than 150,000 square feet of
meeting space, 36 holes of championship golf, and extensive
Hawaiian cultural programming in addition to traditional water
sports and activities. So grab a pen and mark your calendar for
June 7-9, 2013. See you there. SM
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