By Vanessa Wolf

The makai catch will be served as part of the luncheon. Photo by Vanessa Wolf.

Kō, the signature restaurant at The Fairmont Kea Lani, will be hosting a special wine pairing luncheon in celebration of iconic Napa Valley winemaker Miljenko “Mike” Grgich’s 90th birthday.

The luncheon will be held at noon on Aug. 10 and features three courses of Chef Tylun Pang’s award-winning dishes paired with Grgich Hills winery selections.

The menu will feature ahi poke, fresh catch fish, coconut curry lamb chops and lilikoi sorbet.

The wines chosen for the pairings are the winery’s refreshing 2011 Fumè Blanc, crisp 2010 Chardonnay and complex 2008 Merlot.

An inductee to the Vintner Hall of Fame, Miljenko “Mike” Grgich is a legend in the Napa Valley.

Over the past 50 years, his wines – crafted in the classic Old World tradition – have won multiple national and international prizes, thereby establishing Grgich Hills Estate as a premier winery.

Grgich helped pioneer a number of significant breakthroughs in California wine-making techniques, including the use of cold sterilization and malolactic fermentation as well as the use of oak barrels for proper aging.

In 1976, when a chardonnay he crafted for Chateau Montelena beat the very best French wines in a blind tasting in Paris, Napa Valley was catapulted into the front ranks of the leading wine-producing regions of the world.

The ahi poke will also be part of the luncheon offerings. Photo by Vanessa Wolf.

“For years, everybody in the world believed that only French soils could produce great wines,” Grgich explained. “We shattered that myth. That was probably the most significant result of the Paris tasting. Our victory pumped new energy into the California wine industry, particularly in the Napa Valley, and it energized winemakers in many other parts of the word, such as Argentina and Chile. They realized that if we could do it, so could they.”

Space is extremely limited for this exclusive event, which starts at $69 per person. To register or the wine pairing luncheon, call 808-875-2290.

Those who can’t make the luncheon can still enjoy Grgich Hills wines throughout the month of August.

A prix fixe three-course menu comprised of Executive Chef Tylun Pang’s favorite dishes and paired with three Grgich wines will be available every evening in August.

To make reservations, call 808-875-2210.

We welcome your feedback. Please let us know if you hear of any new restaurants opening or reopening, total menu overhauls, or simply know of a hidden treasure you want to share. Have a restaurant you want reviewed (or re-reviewed)? Drop us a line – Vanessa(@mauinow.com)