The Happenings - Upcoming Seattle Area Events!

I’m aliiiiiiveeee! Sorry folks (all 5 of you who read this), this summer was quite the spectacle what with my broken wrist and whatnot. Fun fact: typing is downright horrible when you only have one hand to use… so yeah.. in any event, I am back! And what better foray back into things than a little post on some of the upcoming tasty events happening in the Seattle area (and beyond). We’re going across the alcohol palate tonight, and looking at an upcoming wine, beer and cider event (I will just put them in order of when they are happening)! Without further ado…

The #WhereYouWine Sweepstakes!

We’ve all seen them, the perfectly staged Instagram photos showing your current wine of the moment in front of whatever beautiful background you can find. You do it anyways, so why not win a prize for it?  The “Where You Wine” sweepstakes from Whole Foods aims to do just that:  give away prizes for those who share photos of themselves enjoying wine around the Pacific Northwest on Instagram with the #whereyouwine and #sweepsentry hashtags!

Full details can be found here, but the basic idea is this:

• Follow @WFMSeattle, @WFMchambersbay or @WFMMillPlain on Instagram
• Send a picture, and include the hashtags #whereyouwine and #sweepsentry for an entry. 
• One Entry with the appropriate hashtags is one (1) entry. 
• Limit: one (1) Entry per person, per day, regardless of method of entry. Only entries using the hashtags #whereyouwine and #sweepsentry will be considered valid entries.
• There will be four (4) random drawings held and each Bi-Weekly winner will receive a $20 Whole Foods Market Gift Card.
• One (1) Grand Prize winner will be randomly drawn around 08/01/15, from among all eligible entries received throughout the Promotion. Grand Prize winner will receive a Wine Accessory Gift Basket!

Since it’s a blast giving away things here at Sips & the City, I’m happy to be giving away a $20 gift card to Whole Foods Market that you can use to stock up on wine to showcase in your #WhereYouWine photos so you can possibly win ANOTHER $20 gift card through the sweepstakes! It’s pretty much the best arrangement ever. To enter, just visit Whole Foods Market's Summer Top 10 Wines page and comment on this post with which of the wines listed you’re most interested in trying. Winner drawn at random on 7/6/15 from all entries received and gift certificate will be sent electronically,  GOOD LUCK!

Upcoming Event: 2015 Wine Rocks, a Tasting Event - July 9th, 2015 - Pier 66

Did you hear about the party on the Pier? (see what I did there? I’m a poet and I didn’t even know it..) Wine Rocks, a Tasting Event is back in action on Thursday, July 9th down at Pier 66 on the beautiful Seattle waterfront. This awesome venue has been home of this event for the past few years and offers great views and a perfect space for this ever growing event. I love Wine Rocks because it’s an opportunity for winemakers to showcase their other creative side: music! All but one of the musical acts performing at this year’s event is affiliated in some way with a Washington winery!

Upcoming Event: Rosé Revival & Other Cool Whites - June 18th, 2015 - Ray's Boathouse

Well, the days are longer, the the sun is shining, there's far too many people in "Suns Out, Guns Out" tank tops, and the temperature has reached a level where Seattlites start complaining; it must be summer! And with summer we start discriminating against our wines and long for only whites and rosés. Because come on, who wants to drink room temperature liquid when it's 90 degrees outside? Your troubles are no more! Look no further than Rosé Revival on June 18th at Ray's Boathouse. Held on a beautiful dock that is part of the event space adjacent to the restaurant, you're treated to a beautiful sunset and over a hundred rosé and white wines from 30+ different wineries. In addition to Northwest wineries (the list can be found here) there will also be a table with wines from Italy, France Argentina, Australia, and more. This is the 13th vintage of this great summer event, where attendees get to say no to reds! (Seriously, there are no red wines poured at this event!)

This year's event includes a 5 p.m. early VIP entry ($50/ticket) limited to just 50 people (with the general admission ($35/ticket) starting at 6 p.m.). If you're tired of bumping elbows with other people while trying to get your next taste then try out this option! Also, all advance ticket purchasers (VIP or GA) get a ticket for Wild Salmon Sliders and other snacks from Ray's Boathouse! Like what you're tasting? There will be a wine store onsite so you can take home your favorites!

I attended this event last year and really liked the small intimate nature of it. Sure, the big wine tasting events are fun and offer a huge variety, but the small events give you a chance to learn a little bit more about the wines you're tasting. Less people means a better chance to talk to the winemakers. The view doesn't hurt either, who doesn't like sipping wine while staring out at Puget Sound? So let's hope for a beautiful night like we had last year and get your tickets now for this year's Rosé Revival & Other Cool Whites on June 18th!

How Do You Like Them Apples? The Explosion of the Cider Market

During this year’s Taste Washington festivities, I had the pleasure of attending one of the seminars for the first time along with my (normally beer drinking) boyfriend. My friend Erin James (of Sip NW and CIDERCRAFT magazines) was on the panel and I was dying to learn all there is to know about the cider movement and also see her do her thing in front of an audience. It was such a great opportunity to learn about cider, where it came from, where it’s headed and to hear from the actual producers themselves as well. Oh and the tasting.. you can’t forget the tasting portion! Deee-lish.

The "Tried and True" and "New and Notable" of Taste Washington 2015

Sigh… Taste Washington 2015 has come and gone, and we now spend the next year dreaming of next year’s vintage of the best of the best of Washington wine and food. While there were too many amazing events to attend all of them, I managed to try some amazing gems at the Grand Taste Saturday edition, and got my learn on at one of the Sunday Seminars! This post contains my wine highlights from the Grand Taste, an upcoming post will cover all of the amazing things I learned at the seminar.

Upcoming Event: 2015 Taste Washington - 3/26 to 3/29/2015 - Various Locations

We have kicked off March of 2015 and Washington Wine Month is in full effect! Who doesn’t love an entire month dedicated to the amazing wines that are produced from our great state? One of the best parts of Washington Wine Month is that it is capped off with Taste Washington, the nation’s largest single region wine and food event. Taste Washington is so much more than just the Grand Taste. This year’s 4-day extravaganza, held March 26^th through 29^th, includes several different events where you can sip some of the finest wines Washington’s many AVAs have to offer. So let’s a take a look see at all the fun, shall we?

Valentine's Day for the Wine Lover!

As we saunter into February 2015 (already?!) we reach that time where we once again have to decide how we’re going to impress that special someone on cupid’s favorite holiday. Since we’ve known for ages that love and booze go hand in hand, why not use Valentine’s Day this year for some liquid lovin’? There are a wide variety of Valentine’s Day related wine events coming up, special drink recipes you can concoct, and some wines that are perfect for your other half (or for yourself, not everyone has a Valentine, so spoil yourself this year!). So let’s take a look-see, shall we?

Upcoming Event: 2015 Seattle Wine & Food Experience - 2/22/15 - Seattle Center Exhibition Hall

Ladies and gents, it’s go time again! The Seattle Wine & Food Experience (SWFE)(@SeattleWineFood) kicks off the 2015 event season on Sunday February 22^nd with all of the delectable food and beverages that we have come to know and love at this event. The seventh vintage of this event will once again be held at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall (12-5pm VIP, 1-5pm General Admission), which has been home to all of the delicious offerings for many years. As I’ve mentioned in past posts about SWFE, one of the best parts of this event is that it isn’t just Washington specific. SWFE brings in wines, beers and spirits from around the U.S. and around the world. This allows guests a great opportunity to try things they may never come across at any other Seattle tasting event.

Hear, Hear to a New Year!

Happy 2015! I’m back party people! OK, so I've been a less than stellar blogger as of late and I apologize for that to the many readers (well, all 5 of you) of Sips & The City. I put it in writing in my Christmas letter that I vowed to write more this year, so I am going to make good on that promise. First off, some changes. My wonderful beer expert Ally has gotten hitched and flown the coop to Florida, so I am once again alone in my Seattle (and beyond!) tasting adventures. You will probably see the occasional beer post from me, but the person that actually knows her stuff about beer likely won’t be contributing as she has in the past. But fear not, I live with a male that enjoys the brews, so there may be some times where he gets to provide some insight into a post that I write. We’ll see where the wind blows us!

Now for the good stuff, as in what’s coming up on Sips & The City! Here’s what the next few posts have in store:

-The 2015 Seattle Wine & Food Experience (SWFE) is coming up February 22^nd. Post coming next week with details on the event and a chance to win tickets!

- Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and love & booze have always gone hand in hand (am I right?!). Looking for some ideas on what to enjoy with that special someone on everyone’s favorite Hallmark holiday? Look no further. Well, come back and look further when I get the post on it up…

-2015 Taste Washington is coming up before we know it, this year happening March 28^th and 29^th. A post on this year’s event details and information on seminars coming soon.

-A post on the big picture of wine in the U.S. Just a teaser for now, look for the real deal in the future!

-And as always, Sips on the Road whenever I travel somewhere and have the opportunity to try a new winery, brewery or spirit (aka I need to travel more..)

Looking forward to a great 2015 and all of the events, tastes, and fun adventures I’ll be able to write about. Cheers and I’ll be seeing you SOON!