Historic Charles Krug Winery wines set for signature dinner Monday at Almost Home

The latest in a series of signature wine dinners is scheduled for Monday, June 9 at Almost Home, 17 W. Franklin St, Greencastle.

The wines of the historic Charles Krug Winery of Napa Valley will be paired with a four-course meal in a 6:30 p.m. seating at the restaurant.

Cost of the event is $25 per person. Reservations are recommended.

Almost Home owner Gail Smith said her supplier, Glazier Distributing, Indianapolis, likes to showcase its wines at the restaurant on the Greencastle square, citing the good participation locally.

Smith said a Halloween dress-up wine event was a huge success, as was a recent visit by Francine Williams of Toad Hollow Winery in Sonoma, Calif. She is the sister-in-law of actor-comedian Robin Williams.

"She never did do anything in Indianapolis," Smith pointed out. "They flew her right to Detroit after she was here."

Monday's first course, lobster bisque, will be paired with a Charles Krug Sauvignon Blanc, while the second course -- featuring Indiana asparagus with red pepper, goat cheese with a white wine vinaigrette -- will be paired with a Charles Krug Chardonnay.

The evening's third course, parmesan crusted chicken on a bed of fresh arugula drizzled with balsamic glaze, will be paired with a Charles Krug Merlot.

Lastly, a dessert of chocolate-covered strawberries will be paired with a Charles Krug Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Charles Krug Winery, founded in 1861, is now under the guidance of Peter Mondavi Sr.

Krug, a 27-year-old Prussian immigrant when he came to America, built the first winery in the Napa Valley and became the major winery figure of his era, greatly influencing Napa Valley's development as a world-renown wine-producing region.

After Krug's death in 1892, James Moffitt held the winery in proprietorship through Prohibition. By 1943, Moffitt found a worthy successor in Cesare Mondavi, an Italian immigrant with a passion for wine, and sold the winery to his family for $75,000.

Cesar Mondavi spearheaded a dramatic renaissance for the Charles Krug Winery in the decade that followed. When he died in 1959, he left wife Rosa as president with sons Robert and Peter as general manager and vice president, respectively.

Robert moved south to Oakvillle to develop his own noteworthy winery in 1966. Upon Rosa's death in 1976, Peter became president of the Krug Winery. He was named one of 12 Napa Valley Vintners Association Living Legends in 1999.

The Charles Krug Winery has been revitalized by a nine-year, $22 million investment program completed in 2010. More than 400 of the winery's 850 prime acres have been replanted, while state-of-the-art winemaking equipment has been added to ensure production of some of the finest Bordeaux-style wines in the Napa Valley.