Upcoming Event: Wine Rocks 2014 - July 10th - Elliott Hall at Bell Harbor (Pier 66)

The Seattle days are heating up once again (what’s that bright giant orb in the sky?!), and with warm weather comes one of my favorite summer time events. Wine Rocks (@WineRocksSEA) is back for the 7^th year in a row, held again this year down on the Pier at Elliott Hall at Pier 66 on Thursday July 10^th, 2014. With over 40 wineries, food trucks, live music and amazing waterfront views of Puget Sound, how can you possibly pass this up? (Answer: You can’t. So don’t)

This year’s event will feature performances by five Washington winemakers and their friends, including some returning favorites and some new additions! This year’s performers include:

• Gordy Rawson, Chatter Creek – Rawson’s love of wine and knowledge of Washington’s terroir has cultivated excellent ‘Old World’ style wine, while his enthusiasm for music generates ‘Old School’ rifts that keep the house shakin’ and the feet tappin’.
• Carolina Warwick, Kestrel Wines and Micah Riesenweber, Market Vineyards – With a deep passion for the arts in all forms, it is no wonder that Warwick chose both wine making and music to pursue. Performing with guitarist Riesenweber, the pair forms an acoustic duo, with inspired originals and acoustic renditions of musical favorites spanning decades. 
• Victor Palencia, Palencia Winery – Palencia’s passion for wine runs deep in Eastern Washington wine country. Along with Paula Ramirez (Palencia Winery’s Director of Sales & Marketing) and their band makes a foursome excited to bring “musica con ritmo latino” right out of wine country.
• Darren Des Voigne, Des Voigne Cellars – Closing out the event is Des Voigne and his track-suited musical group. Like his bold and musically inspired wines, Des Voigne and his band throw down up-tempo new wave rock beats.

The food trucks are back again this year too, with delectable bites from Barking Frog Mobile Kitchen, the Grilled Cheese Experience, Jemil’s Big Easy, Lumpia World, My Sweet Lil Cakes and Papa Bois. I really enjoyed the food trucks last year, as it gave us a real meal in between sampling all of the wine (and some beer) at the event. We definitely had a little variety in our dinner that night trying dishes from a few of them! Joining the food trucks will be a few specialty food vendors offering up some light snacks.

And let us not forget the views… the sights you get to take in may very well be one of my favorite parts of this event. We all know how amazing the Seattle waterfront is on a beautiful evening. Now just picture yourself with a wine glass in your hand, listening to some tunes, and gazing across Puget Sound watching the sail boats go by.. Am I RIGHT?!

Wine Rocks Seattle once again benefits FoodLifeline, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending hunger in Western Washington. Food Lifeline stocks the shelves and fills the tables of 275 food banks, meal programs and shelters throughout the region. The 35 million pounds of nutritious food the organization secures from restaurants, grocery stores, farmers and manufacturers feeds 745,000 hungry people every year.

Tickets to Wine Rocks are $40 through May 31^st (Hurry! That’s Saturday!) and $45 until July 10^th. Pick up yours at Brown Paper Tickets. Ticket buyers will also receive a free sampler download from Sub Pop Records. Sub Pop will be onsite playing new music hits to keep the party going during live music breaks.

So let’s recap: wine + live music + food trucks + beautiful views + proceeds to a charitable cause + tickets only $40-$45 = one heck of a good time at Wine Rocks 2014! This event ALWAYS sells out, so get your tickets and I’ll see you rockin’ out on the Pier on July 10^th!