Join us for our annual Taos Winter Wine Festival dinner at Brownell Chalet in 2025! This past season’s dinner raised the bar yet again pairing Napa Valley and Sonoma winemakers Robert Sinskey and Steve Matthiasson with local chef Asia Golden‘s 5-course meal in an unforgettable evening of good food in good company with even greater wines! At the forefront of farm-style, low intervention organic winemaking, these peers and paragons make food-friendly, interesting wines through a modern lens. The result was delicious, inspiring and sense-awakening, especially with Christof Brownell‘s jazz piano sets!

Steve Matthiasson dreamt of farming his entire life. He became an obsessed gardener, cook, and homebrewer while studying philosophy in college. In 1994 Steve began working for a small sustainable agriculture consulting firm overseeeing vineyards and orchards and in 1999 he co-authored the California manual on sustainable vineyard practices. In 2002 he started consulting on vineyard practices in Napa, and now, in addition to farming their own vineyards, he pays it forward by mentoring marginalized people with the 280 Project and teaching organic viticulture at UC Davis. Steve is a life-long student of the art and craft of viticulture and winemaking, which is why our wine label features a pair of pruning shears, the tool that every viticulturalist wears on their belt for pruning, harvest, or opening beers.

“A taste of wine should not be a quick study—the wine should seduce you, slowly, as it opens in the glass…”

robert sinskey

Robert Sinskey Vineyards (RSV) is a 100% organic and biodynamic-certified wine growing operation with over 200 acres of premium vineyards in the Carneros and Stags Leap districts of Napa and Sonoma Valleys. Rob Sinskey believes that the goals of making luxuriously elegant wines and farming with earth-friendly methods are not mutually exclusive. Together with winemaker Jeff Virnig, Rob has adopted methods that not only produce wines of individuality, but leave a minimal footprint on the land

“I believe your mood can change the food.”

asia golden

Asia Golden is the creative culinary force at Der Garten Bistro at the Brownell Chalet in Taos Ski Valley. Together with Christof Brownell, they opened their food truck last year, selling gourmet sandwiches, green chile stew, and small plates. This year they are expanding to serve a dozen or so places upstairs in the Chalet.

CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW FOR SOME MEMORABLE MOMENTS FROM 2024’s WINE DINNER!