The Jones Hall stage glowed green with an Emerald City intensity as if the stage had become a verdant garden where 350 art supporters would sip and dine during the Houston Symphony Wine Dinner & Collector’s Auction. The decor could have been a reference to Houston Michelin starred restaurant Le Jardinier, which provided a meal as elegant as the multiple wines served.
Pardon me while I swoon over a menu that began with white asparagus and caviar. But we must move on.
Chaired by Janet F. Clark, this Symphony evening began along the tiers of the grand staircase where people placed their bids on an array of wines, spirits and experiences. The most compelling among them were a three-night stay in France’s Champagne region, three bottles of 1983 Château Leoville-Las Cases ‘Gran Vin de Leoville’ Saint Julien, Bordeaux, and a Robert Parker 100-point wine raffle in which attendees could enter to win a case of Robert Parker rated 100-point wine.
Jack Matzer served as the wine chair for an evening that was brief on program and long on gastronomy. Symphony executive director and CEO Gary Ginstling joined Clark in briefly addressing the 250 black-tie attired Houston Symphony supporters…