Upcoming Event: 2011 Taste of Tulalip - Tulalip Resort

While I can happily say that there are MANY great wine events held throughout the year, the Taste of Tulalip is by far my favorite. The 2010 event (read my write-up on it here) was amazing, featuring top of the line wines from Washington and California and delicious bites from the many talented chefs of the Tulalip Resort. I've been checking off the days on my calendar in anticipation of this year's festivities and from the preview event I attended, this year will be even better than before (I don't even know how that's possible, last year was incredible).

2nd Annual BLEND - Bell Harbor Conference Center

For this year’s Columbia BLEND event, held September 18th, 2011, I was honored to be asked by event promoter Jamie Peha (@TableTalkPeha) to be on the panel of judges for the “BLEND Awards”. Now, I’ve tasted a lot of wine in my day, but this was the first time I’d been asked to participate in something like this, so I was excited! Little did I know it would be so much work! This year’s event featured over 40 wineries pouring 130+ wines, all blends.

(look at me! I'm on the "panel of experts"!)

The lovely Erin Thomas (@erindrinkswine) and I arrived at BLEND an hour before kickoff, ready to don our stemware, clipboards, and spit cups in an effort to taste through all of the wines being poured at the event.