RAEN/Continuum Wine Dinner – September 25, 2025

Fearrington invites you to a collaborative dinner focusing on the winemaking family of Tim Mondavi – a generational event. RAEN and Continuum together at one table. Join us for this unique opportunity to explore and taste the legacy of one of California’s most prominent winemaking lineages. Chef Paul Gagne’s 5-course dinner menu will pair with 8 memorable wines.

RAEN
Pronounced “rain”, our name reminds us that wine was rain first. It only becomes wine in our vineyards after being filtered by the rocks taken back up by the vines and sweetened by the sun. The unique spelling is our society and ethos, which is translated to Research in Agriculture and Enology Naturally.

As fourth generation winemakers and farmers, Carlo and Dante Mondavi attribute a great deal of what they have learned to their grandfather Robert and father Tim, both whom influenced them from a young age. Carlo and Dante’s father Tim was a pioneer for California Pinot Noir in the early 1970s, always with a tremendous regard for the great wines of Burgundy. Carlo and Dante credit their father’s passion for Pinot Noir as their earliest inspiration. They also consider their father their first teacher in beyond-organic farming, an approach they’ve followed as a family of farmers for decades, and Carlo and Dante consider themselves ‘winegrowers’ rather than winemakers.

SISSIE STROPE-SMITH, Global Sales Director of RAEN
Sissie Strope Smith is the Global Sales Director for RAEN Winery. Sissie joined the RAEN team in 2019, brought on as the first team member to fill this role, and has led all wholesale & trade sales for RAEN since.

Sissie spent the better part of a decade in Napa and Sonoma, California, prior to relocating to her home of North Carolina. She resides in Raleigh with her husband Adam, who manages the farm at the iconic Umstead Hotel, their two-year-old daughter Sophia, and their pup, Lucy.

CONTINUUM
Continuum is built upon a dynamic and pioneering family history. Over more than a century, four generations of Mondavis have produced wines that continually raised the bar for quality and prestige, propelling the family name to become synonymous with the shimmering promise of California wine.

Cesare Mondavi, an innovator, brought the family to America, to wine, and to the Napa Valley. His son Robert, a visionary, possessed a passion for excellence and tireless ambition which transformed not only his family but the entire world of wine. Tim Mondavi, a virtuoso, from a young age came into the family business and blazed trails globally, developing wines of world-class quality. Now, he and his sister Marcia Mondavi Borger, along with their adult children, have created Continuum, the new home of Mondavi family winemaking.

DAVID BANTLY, National Director of Continuum
David didn’t grow up with wine in the house, but after spending his junior year in college in Lyon France, he knew that wine held something special. Upon his return and completion of his degree, he expanded his time and study in the business. Taking courses and attending any tasting imaginable, he developed a talent for fine wine.

It has been nearly fifty years since that lad went to France and had the experience that gave him a wonderful career. In addition to his career experience, David has passed his Certification Specialist of Wine and his WSET II. He also is a devoted food nut, traveling to places as Tokyo, Lima, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Emilia Romagna, and of course France, just to eat. David is a terrific, energetic speaker with a passion for wine and food. He has been with Continuum for twelve years and we are delighted to have him represent the Mondavi Family, here at the Fearrington House.

THE FINE PRINT:
This $295 wine dinner is non-refundable and totals $365 with tax and service. If your plans have changed, please feel free to send a lucky friend in your place! Just send us an email with their name or have them bring your confirmation email.