Intimacy, fine wine and magic combine for a perfect date night at BeauRivage.
By Melonie Magruder / Special to The Malibu Times
The prize-winning Rosenthal-The Malibu Estate winery in Newton Canyon has paired with the 2007 International Brotherhood of Magicians Gold medal recipient, David Minkin, to offer one of the more unusual date nights you will find in Malibu.
With seating limited to just 28 guests on the terrace overlooking a Pacific sunset at the BeauRivage restaurant, an Evening of Enchantment offers a fairly intimate chance to become acquainted with a specially selected flight (a tasting) of Rosenthal Estate wines, while enjoying the magic of a regular performer from Hollywood’s famous Magic Castle, along with complete strangers at your table, who, in the conviviality of the festivities, become your new best friends by the end of the evening.
“This is a different kind of evening out,” event organizer A.J. Steinberg said. “It’s like a private party every Sunday night.”
But not the kind you have to clean up after.
Guests nibbled on BeauRivage-prepared hors d’oeuvres like crab-stuffed mushrooms and goat cheese blinis on the restaurant’s private terrace, which is decorated with candle-lit tables strewn with rose petals and twinkling lights.
Rosenthal assistant winemaker Shawn Leis looks more like a rock star, with hair flowing down his back, than an oenophile, but he expertly leads guests through a series of tastings from the winery, whose vines are found in a perfect micro-climate in the hills above Malibu.
“Newton Canyon received American Viticulture Area appellation in 1996,” Leis said. “Our cabs are special.”
He was referring to Rosenthal’s 2001 cabernet sauvignon, which has won gold medals in national and international wine competitions. It came third in the line-up of tastings this evening and, indeed, guests went looking for more.
Properly oiled up, guests are then led, appropriately, to the wine cellar for some magic.
Minkin has been practicing the art of illusion for about 12 years and has a point of distinction on the Magic Castle’s “wall of honor.” He starred in the MTV series, “Room 401,” but he said he prefers the intimacy of a parlor-like setting.
“This is such a small group, I can do magic pieces I’ve never done at the Magic Castle,” Minkin said. “I have one piece I’ve been working on [for] four years and have never shown before.”
Intimacy being the operative theme, the audience is close enough to see a grain of sugar glistening on Minkin’s fingers -surely close enough to detect any “tricks” he might pull.
“Unlike ancient times, our society lacks a belief in magic,” Minkin said. “We believe in science. So to be able to open the door just a crack is great.”
Minkin is slight and dark, with a vaguely European look. His manner is relaxed. He said working on television is difficult because it requires more “proving” to an audience.
“If I flew across the room right now, you’d be impressed,” he said. “But on TV, the audience thinks it’s a trick with wires. I want to do straight-ahead, pure magic.”
And he does.
Rolling up his sleeves, Minkin not only makes coins hop from one hand to the other, he makes them hop into observers’ hands.
An audience member writes her name on a card that keeps popping out of a deck and, ultimately, it is found folded up into a little square inside a box of mints. We were watching. He didn’t touch the box.
“Yep,” Minkin said. “Four years of college down the drain.”
Upstairs, guests mix metaphors when talking about the evening.
“It’s the wine that’s magic,” Pat Mahoney, who drove in from Valencia, said. “So far, the cab is the best.”
“It’s also the most expensive,” Mary Gibson from Sylmar said. “But it’s definitely worth it.”
Gibson headed to the tasting room bar to order a bottle to take with her.
The Evening of Enchantment is available for parties of 50 to 100. “But less than 50 is more fun,” Steinberg said.
How much is Minkin counting on a head full of excellent wine to boost the effect of his misdirection?
He grinned. “I’ve long dreamed of this kind of venue,” he said. “But it is funny how magical things can be after a couple of glasses,” he said.
Tickets to the Evening of Enchantment are $95. More information about can be obtained by contacting A.J. Steinberg at 310.795.0269 or online at www.davidminkin.com