The lovely ladies of Behind the Bench gathered for a fundraising weekend at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. (Photo by Maria Hunt)
Last weekend I went up to Beverly Hills to create a sparkling cocktail from The Bubbly Bar at a luncheon that included the wives of many professional basketball players and a few Hollywood celebrities.
Behind the Bench is a non-profit charitable organization run by the wives of current and former NBA basketball players. This year’s festivities culminated in an awards luncheon that honored actress Angela Bassett and director Penny Marshall.
Schramsberg’s Cremant was the featured wine at the luncheon staged at the hip and modern SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. A blend of Flora and Gewurztraminer grapes, the Schramsberg Cremant is a sweeter style known as a demi sec. The ladies sipped a cocktail from my book called the Stiletto, a subtly potent blend of Grand Marnier, Navan cognac and sparkling wine as an aperitif.
Schramsberg's Cremant is a demi-sec style of wine that's great for pairing with subtle desserts or spicy foods. (Photo by Maria Hunt)
Chef Nikki Shaw and DeShawn Snow formerly of Real Housewives of Atlanta were the co-emcees of the luncheon where Marshall and Bassett took the stage to accept their awards. Bassett’s husband Courtney B Vance, who played District Attorney Ron Carver on five seasons of Law & Order Criminal Intent, was there to cheer his wife on.
