An unparalleled wine and watch event, the A. Lange & Söhne Napa Valley Akademie for watchmaking that took place in September gave guests a true insight into the lifestyles of Napa Valley and A. Lange & Söhne watchmaking.
In fact, on site for the event were a host of key A. Lange & Söhne executives who walked the small group of journalists through a training session in the watchmaking arts of craftsmanship and technology -- not to mention wine. The Akademie, which started in 2007, is led by Joanna Lange, who gave insightful and interesting stories about the founding of the brand, the early years of the brand, the fleeing moments of the Lange family to Pforzheim before the Berlin Wall went up, and the rebirth of the brand again after the Wall came down. The event gave an interesting backdrop to the 20 year rebirth of A. Lange & Söhne.
Watchmaking sessions were led by Joanna Lange and the brand's top master engraver, Simone Rauchlub, who demonstrated her very highly skilled art of engraving and then gave journalists the opportunity to try their hand at this painstaking task. Indeed, it gave new appreciation to all - recognizing that engraving is an art that requires precision, accuracy and style. Other sessions included a look at Saxon watchmaking perfection via diamond-polishing miniscule parts and the incredibly challenging task of winding and loading a mainspring into the barrel.
In addition to learning the art of watchmaking, the group was treated by Gaeton Guillosson, North American brand president to amazing wine tours and exemplary cuisine by Gaeton Guillosson, North American brand president. Among the wine tours: Napa Valley Reserve (a members-only winery); Opus One (one of the finest wineries in Napa Valley, originally begun by Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild)); Martin Estate (owned by the Martin family who also boasts an amazing collection of antique fire arms, armor and cars); Continuum (the new venture by Tim Mondavi). Included in the event were dinners at the two 3 Michelin Star restaurants in Napa: The French Laundry (Chef Thomas Keller) - where we enjoyed nine courses on a pairing menu; The Meadowood (Chef Christophe Kostow) - where more than seven courses on a pairing menu were experienced.
The enlightening experience not only gave great hands-on training, but also offered new appreciation of the parallels of fine wine and watchmaking. Winery tour leader, Gilles de Chambure, Master Sommelier, provided wonderful historical details of the wineries and their founders, and of their visions, failures and accomplishments - much like the world of watchmaking. Both trades are an art, each with centuries of tradition and each with innovative, visionary thinking propelling each craft to new heights.