Food is delicious. Wine is devine. Add food + wine together and you have next month’s marvelous food & wine event, the Seattle Food & Wine Experience (SFWE). The event, which will be held Sunday February 27th, 2011 from 1-5pm, will showcase wines from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Spain, Italy, France, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, South Africa and more. This worldly showcase will feature over 1,000 different wines as well as bites from 24 of the finest Seattle-area chefs and restaurateurs. Last year’s event was my first foray into large wine tasting events here in Seattle. It did not disappoint. The location of the event, the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, is perfect, as it provides a nice open space to sip wine, snack on tasty food bites and mingle with other SFWE attendees.
This year’s SFWE features wines poured from 45 California and International Wineries, 35 Washington Wineries, 10 Oregeon Wineries, and 10 Idaho Wineries. In addition to wine and food exhibits, there are also other wine related and lifestyle exhibitors on site. The “Experience” also offers guests an assortment of activities and learning opportunities including:
• The Taste of Tulalip Lounge – all of the Tulalip Resort chefs will be on hand cooking their latest Taste of Tulalip creations. Remember my amazing tasting notes from the Taste of Tulalip and the preview event? This Lounge is one you don’t want to miss.
• Foster Farms Market – a huge supporter of the independent family-owned farm, Foster Farms chicken is raised locally and delivered to the market in 48 hours or less. At SFWE, visit this exhibit to visit with the one and only Kathy Casey, taste her chicken-bacon cupcakes, and pick up a copy of her book. There will be 400 copies given away compliments of Foster Farms!
• Chef in the Vineyard – Chateau Ste. Michelle Culinary Director and cookbook author John Sarich will be preparing four different recipes taken from his book “Chef in the Vineyard” and pairing with individual wines. A comparative wine tasting bar will allow guests to sample wines from different growing regions (Italy, New Zealand, Washington, and Oregon) via side-by-side comparison.
• Beecher’s Cheese – Did someone say cheese?! Beecher’s classic Mac & Cheese served along with Goose Ridge wines.
• Tom Douglas Rub with Love – This spectacular line of rubs is featured at SFWE along with fresh American Lamb. Lola Chef Liam Spencer along with Oregon lamb producer Reed Anderson are the Shepherd and the Chef team for American Lamb representing the Pacific Northwest.
• Brewery and Cider Companies – wine not quite your thing? There will also be more than 10 local and national breweries and cider companies on hand sampling and educating!
All this food talk making you hungry? It should! In attendance representing the amazing Seattle food scene will be Andaluca Restaurant, Arnies, bin on the lake, Blueacre/Steelhead Diner, BOKA Kitchen + Bar, The Capital Grille, Coho Café, Copperleaf Restaurant at Cedarbrook Lodge, Earth & Ocean, The Georgian, Ivar’s Seafood Restaurants, Purple Café and Wine Bar, Ray’s Boathouse, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, and Salty’s on Alki.
For the most current list of wineries and breweries pouring at SFWE, click here, and for a detailed restaurant list click here.
And we ALL love having fun for a charitable cause, so this year’s event benefits The Giving Grapes Foundation, a 501c3 organization assisting local charities who provide financial assistance to service industry professionals who have to take time off work due to injury or illness.
Convinced that the Seattle Food & Wine Experience is for you? Well it is! Head on over to Brown Paper Tickets to get your tickets for the event, just $49 (and that’s a LOT of food and wine for $49!). Your ticket price also includes a souvenir wine glass to use for your tasting at the event and take home with you afterward.
This year’s Seattle Food & Wine Experience is gearing up to be a fabulous event once again. Peha Promotions doesn’t ever let us down when it comes to fantastic wine events, so I’ll see you there!
