On May 20, Marc Mondavi, co-proprietor of Charles Krug Estate, spoke to patrons on the patio of Hyatt Lodge’s Water’s Edge Restaurant in Oakbrook, Ill. The well-attended event marked the reopening for events at the hotel, a growing trend in the on-premise industry as the world slowly reopens to re-establishment of its usual leisure and entertainment in the food and beverage space.

The event featured a five-course dinner of dishes curated by Executive Chef Joshua Karther, paired with five wines from the Charles Krug lineup. Tickets were $89-$109 a person plus tax, available via the hotel’s website or on OpenTable.

The tasting menu included a 2018 Sauvignon Blanc paired with Bristol Bay scallop and compressed watermelon; a 2018 Pinot Noir paired with maple leaf duck breast; a 2017 Family Reserve Generations paired with blackberry short rib; Cabernet Sauvignon-Howell Mountain paired with LHA Reserve filet mignon; and was capped off with a huckleberry tart dessert.

“The flavors of each wine have inspired the individual dishes that guests will enjoy throughout the evening,” Chef Karther said. “We have taken careful consideration of these notes so that the wines complement each dish perfectly, and enhance the overall dining experience.”

Mondavi says that, interestingly, during the pandemic, the brand saw an uptick in interest from collectors with disposable income who weren’t able to spend money on lavish vacations or pricey dinners, and instead invested money in high-end wine.

“This is where our library releases — limited-edition three-packs of our Vintage Selection Cabernet Sauvignon that we have been offering for the past four years — have been especially appealing,” he says. “We also added an import wine (French Blue) to the C. Mondavi & Family portfolio for the first time in our history last year, which has helped us target a segment of the market that we previously weren’t able to capture with domestic-only wines.”

Along with a variety of upcoming wine releases, including the 2020 Sauvignon Blanc, Mondavi says as wine country reopens, Charles Krug is hosting a litany of events at the property.

“As a leader and innovator in Napa Valley hospitality, we’ve actively been building upon our offerings by expanding the depth and breadth of our events,” he says. “We want to continue to be the cultural hub of Napa Valley, especially within St. Helena, and the lineup of events/culinary offerings we have on site this year is certainly helping us achieve that.”

As more venues in the food, beverage and hospitality industries reopen to patrons once again for live events, a resurgence of in-person tastings likely will accompany the virtual tastings that gained a following during the highly precautious phases of the pandemic, for which both businesses and patrons are sure to be excited about.

Holy Kombucha announced its national partnership with Hope Squad to bring attention and financial support to the school-based peer-to-peer suicide prevention program. Hope Squad’s mission is to break mental health-related stigmas and reduce youth suicide through education, training and peer intervention. Theresa Pham and Leo Bienati, who started their kombucha business in 2011, had their world was turned upside down when Pharm’s son died by suicide, after which the pair and company took some time off to grieve. With time and faith, the couple transformed their pain to a renewed purpose ― to advocate for mental health awareness and teen suicide prevention through this new partnership with Holy Squad. Their redemption journey is redefining the company’s mission to deliver delicious beverages with a meaningful purpose, it says.

Talking Rain Beverage Co., makers of Sparkling Ice, promoted its Purposeful Prizing Rewards Program through which consumers had the chance to give back to four charities as they redeem rewards points. Taking place from April and through June 30, consumers were prompted to register and upload their receipts to the Sparkling Ice Rewards site where they used their earned points to have Talking Rain donate to one of four nonprofit organizations: Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), Together We Rise, Terrapass and Homes For Our Troops. The rewards points were then converted to dollars and contributed to children and families on behalf of the nonprofits, the company said in a statement.

Competing for good

Bacardi reworked its postponed 2020 BACARDÍ Legacy Global Final, a competition for a $5,000 grant, into a virtual final, which took place in June. The grant funded each competitor’s time to devise and develop a project or enterprise that supports the industry’s recovery, following the immense impact that the pandemic has had across the bartending world. The El Coco bartender grants, named after the iconic palm tree planted outside the first Bacardi distillery in Cuba that has come to symbolize strength and resilience, will be directly paid to each of the 2020 global finalists upon receipt of their project idea in order to “seed” their initiative and support its future growth. The competitors also were invited to bring their original “Legacy” cocktail to the world and compete for the global title in a virtual competition that was live streamed. The winner was announced June 30.

To kick off summer, Gold Peak Real Brewed Tea is celebrating the fun of unfiltered family moments with its TV commercials, “Front Yard Family.” The commercial spotlights these front yard moments like a surprise attack by mom with the water hose or running out of the house in a robe to get the morning newspaper. The tag line “Stay Gold,” acts as a rallying call for all families to stay true to what makes their family “uniquely them” and a promise that Gold Peak will stay true to its real brewed roots, the brand says. The commercial release also aligns with Gold Peak’s new visual identity, which began rolling out in May. The new visual identity highlights the golden hue of the liquid, while emphasizing the natural flavors with tea leaves and an organic color palette. A fully reimagined wordmark with subtle leaf-like serifs and a new messaging hierarchy reinforces Gold Peak’s commitment to real brewed tea and healthier ingredients, like cane sugar, it adds.

For those who have ever wondered who Mike of Mike’s Hard Lemonade Co. is, the company recently launched a “History of Mike’s” campaign featuring cinematic ads that explore the backstory of who Mike might have been as well as his quest to find the perfect lemons to create the hard lemonade. The campaign, created by WorkInProgress, allows consumers to follow Mike on his quest to find the perfect lemons, including trekking through the jungle to find the rarest lemon tree in the world or robbing a train carrying lemons to create this revolutionary beverage. “We think these ads will spark the curiosity our fans already have about the origin of the brand and who the original ‘Mike’ is,” said Matt Talbot, chief creative officer at WorkInProgress, in a statement. “We hope people make up their own origin stories while enjoying a Mike’s Hard Lemonade with friends.” John Shea, chief marketing officer of Mike’s Hard Lemonade, said consumers remain curious about Mike and who he might be. “These spots will keep consumers guessing as these origin stories show our obsession with making the best-tasting, No. 1 hard lemonade for more than two decades,” he says.