Above The Rock’s rainy capital Thursday last, a winding driveway led a motorised convoy up to Jack’s Hill residence The Manor, the venue once more for Vintage, the annual multi-course dinner party of the Jamaica Food & Drink Festival. From this unplanned caravan alighted valued clients of hosts Sagicor Bank, bon vivants and festival partners, who upon crossing the drenched threshold found themselves inside a grand reception tent dressed by events designer and Pussbackfoot frontwoman Aiesha Panton.

Mounted around the property’s tiered fountain, a seating plan for the feast expressed Panton’s ‘muted luxury’ aesthetic to a T. “Tablescapes of white, wooden boxes filled with ferns and baby’s breath were elevated on wooden blocks under a majestic flower-leaf chandelier,” noted the stylist, and fanned out to “tables and chairs festooned with white ribbon fringe and tassels”.

The evening’s ambitious menu opened with vino from the barrels of Bordeaux vintner Barton & Guestier, whose Select Brands-distributed portfolio — stewarded by sommeiler and Barton & Guestier Export Manager Claire Bigot from cocktails through dessert — signposted the elegant fare curated by Hilton Aruba Executive Sous-Chef Lij Heron and ‘Cuisine of the Sun’ chef and restaurateur Cindy Hutson. Later, dinner wrapped with a dessert duo from pâtissier Nadine Hoballah-Burie. Posti-meal convo transpired against the panoramic views of the cityscape below and the silky notes from Verlando Small’s saxophone.

French cognac Courvoisier VSOP lubricated closing arguments, providing a timely window to assess the outcome of the 12,000-dollar-per-seat affair and its larger festival umbrella.

Sagicor Group Marketing Manager, Payments & E-Channels Nicole Campbell remarked, “Sagicor Bank is pleased to be back on board as a partner of the Jamaica Food & Drink Festival. It has grown tremendously over the past three years, attracting a vast local and international audience and solidifying Kingston as a culinary hotspot within the Caribbean. We are happy to be a part of an event that provides a significant boost for small businesses, chefs and culinary personalities and proudly showcases Brand Jamaica.”

On the steam of such a persuasive review, SO now invites you to vicariously ‘swirl, sip, savour’ as we share the sights and sounds of Vintage.