MAX’s Premier Austin Cellar Classic to Benefit the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas

MAX’s Premier Austin Cellar Classic to Benefit the
Capital Area Food Bank of Texas
Designated event proceeds to provide thousands of meals for Central Texas families

AUSTIN, Texas (Oct. 20, 2009) –MAX’s Wine Dive has quickly made its mark in downtown Austin serving up gourmet comfort food and now MAX’s is extending that comfort to local families through the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas.

Patterned after its five-year-old sister celebration of food and wine in Houston, MAX’s Wine Dive is hosting the first annual Austin Cellar Classic on November 6-7, 2009 in MAX’s Underground, a newly created event space located beneath the restaurant at 207 San Jacinto and 3rd St. in downtown Austin.

A portion of the proceeds from the event’s retail wine sales will go to support the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas. The management and staff of MAX’s Wine Dive hope to raise the equivalent of 10,000 meals for Central Texas families in need of help during the upcoming holidays.

“The people of Austin have been tremendous to MAX’s since we opened our downtown restaurant in May 2009. We wanted to show our thanks by bringing people together and giving back to our local community,” said Jerry Lasco, owner of MAX’s Wine Dive in Austin. “We can’t think of a more deserving charity than the Capital Area Food Bank, which helps hundreds of families through some really tough times. Austin is our home, too, so we will continue to host events throughout the year to support our Central Texas neighbors in conjunction with the Food Bank and other local organizations.”

The Austin Cellar Classic features a Grand Wine Dinner on Friday, Nov. 6 and two Grand Wine Tasting sessions on Saturday, Nov. 7. Guests attending the events will have the opportunity to purchase by the bottle or the case any of the wines served. For every total case purchased, the equivalent of 30 meals will be donated to the Capital Area Food Bank.

Austin Cellar Classic Grand Wine Dinner – Friday, Nov. 6
During the Grand Wine Dinner, guests will enjoy incredible food expertly paired with multiple courses of wines. “This dinner showcases another side of MAX’s with uniquely prepared cuisine specially created for this celebration,” explained Brian O’Neill, general manager of MAX’s Wine Dive in Austin.

The dinner begins with a Lobster Crepe with honeycrisp apples, melted leeks and Prosecco served with Pommery Champagne. The following courses feature Foie Gras Torchon paired with Chaputier Blanc; Tellicherry-Crusted Scallop paired with Marc Kreydenweiss Val d’Eleon; Rabbit Cassoulet paired with Faiveley Mercurey Rouge; Guiness Braised Short Ribs paired with Gaja Conteisa Barbaresco; and a dessert course featuring Cranberry Poached Pears paired with Otima 20-year Tawny Port. MAX’s chefs and resident wine expert Ike Johnson will answer questions about the six courses and hand-selected pairings.

Austin Cellar Classic Grand Wine Tasting – Saturday, Nov. 7
The Grand Wine Tasting on Saturday offers two tasting times: 2-5 p.m. and 7-10 p.m. Guests will have an opportunity to sample more than 100 different wines from around the world including highly sought-after and limited production wines like Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay; Mer Soliel Chardonnay; BV Reserve Pinot Noir; Krug Grande Cuvee; Bollinger Special Cuvee Rose; Far Niente Cabernet; Caymus Special Selection; Gaja Conteisa Barbaresco; Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet and many more. The complete wine list of more than 100 wines can be found at www.austincellarclassic.com.

Guests also will enjoy live music, savor MAX’s famous gourmet comfort food and have the opportunity to take advantage of the best retail wine prices in Austin through www.theblackdoor.com, MAX’s new retail wine sales program.

About the Austin Cellar Classic
The Austin Cellar Classic is open to the public, but space is limited and attendees are strongly encouraged to purchase tickets early. Tickets are $80 per person for the Grand Wine Dinner and $40 per person/per session for the Grand Wine Tasting. Guests may purchase a MAXimum Experience combo ticket for $110 per person which includes both the Friday night dinner and one Saturday tasting session. For more information and to purchase Austin Cellar Classic tickets visit www.austincellarclassic.com or contact MAX’s at 512-904-0111.

About Capital Area Food Bank of Texas
The mission of the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas is to feed the hungry by providing food and grocery products to human service agencies serving people in need throughout Central Texas. In its 28th year of service, the Food Bank currently provides food and grocery products to 355 Partner Agencies in 21 Central Texas counties. In 2008, CAFB distributed more than 17 million pounds of food. For more information on the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas and its programs, visit www.austinfoodbank.org or call 512/282-2111.

About MAX’s Wine DiveLocated downtown in the heart of the Convention Center District, MAX’s Wine Dive specializes in what already are two of Austin’s favorite indulgences: gourmet comfort food and divine wines. The wine list features an impressive 100+ selections from every region imaginable, including many unique and hard-to-find offerings. Every wine is available by the glass or the bottle and all are available for retail sale in the restaurant through www.theblackdoor.com, MAX’s new retail wine sales program. MAX’s Wine Dive is located at 207 San Jacinto Blvd and 3rd St. For more information about MAX’s Wine Dive, visit www.MaxsWineDive.com.