Phillips, Wente Vineyards Team for ‘East Meets West’ Crab Challenge

For the second straight year, Wente Vineyards and Phillips Seafood have joined forces for a cross-promotional program at grocery. Once more offering savings on Phillips seafood products, this year the companies, which are located on opposite coasts, have cooked up an “East meets West Crab Challenge” including custom recipes pairing wine and crab meat, retail coupons off the purchase of Phillips items and an online sweepstakes.

The program employed the talents of Wente Vineyards chef Owen Nattrass and Phillips chef Todd Weisz. Both were set the task of preparing two dishes apiece using Phillips Crab Meat paired with Wente Vineyards Morning Fog Chardonnay and Wente Vineyards Southern Hills Cabernet Sauvignon. Consumers could download the unique recipes online and enter to win a trip for two to Wente Vineyards, the oldest continuously operated family-owned winery in the country, in Livermore Valley, Calif., just east of San Francisco.

The winner, Delano Jennings of Yakima, Wash., will enjoy a two-night stay in June at the Cottage at Wente Vineyards. Additionally, Jennings and a guest will attend a customized food-and-wine pairing dinner at The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards, as well as several private wine tours and tastings.

Baltimore-based Phillips is famous for its Maryland-style crab cakes and seafood dishes served at more than 20 Phillips Seafood Restaurants throughout the eastern United States, in addition to being a top importer and distributor of crab meat and other crab products in the United States.