Upcoming Event: 1st Annual Holiday Wine Fest - Nov 12th & 13th, 2016 - Seattle Center Exhibition Hall

The holidays are just about upon us and what better way to celebrate than toasting to the season with some amazing wine?  The 1st Annual Holiday Wine Fest,  a Global Celebration of Wine will be held Saturday and Sunday November 12th and 13th at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall. This all-day Saturday and Sunday event features a world-class line-up of local, regional, national and international wines, ciders, spirits, gourmet cuisine and artisan vendors.  With half the offerings from Washington and the other half international, you’re sure to find a new favorite to share at the Thanksgiving table and the plethora of Christmas parties that are coming up! The event will be held over three sessions, with two on Saturday the 12th and one on Sunday the 13th. You will also have the opportunity to purchase your favorite new wine, cider or spirit at the event and take it home with you!

Festival Tasting Sessions:

Saturday, Nov. 12:  Noon – 4pm ($40 admission)

Saturday, Nov. 12:  5pm – 9pm ($45 admission)
Sunday, Nov. 13:    Noon – 4pm ($40 admission)

For an entire list (and it’s a long one!) of the local and international wineries, cideries, breweries and distilleries pouring at the event, visit the event website. This event benefits City Fruit, which promotes the cultivation of urban fruit in order to nourish people, build community, and protect the climate.

To purchase tickets, click here. Tickets include unlimited wine, cider, beer, and spirits tasting, a tasting glass, culinary samples and artisan shopping. Come celebrate the world of wine November 12th & 13th at the inaugural Holiday Wine Fest!

Rosé is Here to Stay!

It’s go time on summer and with that comes our shift to the “warm weather wines”! I don’t know about you, but I generally don’t touch red wine in the warm summer months since I want something that is refreshing and cold when the temperature outside starts to soar. Rosé has come mainstream lately, as it most certainly should. It took a bit of pushing though, as too many people looked at pink wine and were transported back to the White Zins and cheap blush wines their moms and grandmothers drank for so many years. I am here to tell you that today’s rosé has evolved greatly from those! Rosé is made just like every other wine, but the grape skins are only left in contact with the juice for a short time, rather than throughout fermentation like with a red wine. The longer the skins are left in contact with the juice and depending on the grape used, the darker the color of the rosé, which is why you will see all the colors of the pink rainbow when it comes to rosés (which is one of the reasons I love this type of wine!). Essentially, you can make pretty much any red grape varietal into a rosé. Many wineries even blend different varietals for their final product. The fun that winemakers have been having creating these wines is what makes the Washington rosé scene so amazing! While there are way too many to even try to compile in one post, here are several that I have come across this spring through my tasting adventures locally and in Eastern Washington!

The Delights and New Finds of Taste Washington 2016!

I attended this year’s Taste Washington Grand Taste on Sunday, which was a change from years past when we went for the Saturday tasting. I will say, the lack of crowds on Sunday made it quite the enjoyable experience! It was nice to have the ability to stop and chat with winemakers and actually taste through several wines without feeling rushed to step out of the way for the next person in line. It’s always a challenge to learn a lot about what you’re tasting at busy events like this, but I had a great time this year with the lesser Sunday crowd! As I have in the past few years, I made my focus trying wines from wineries I either had never heard of, or just had not had a chance to try yet. Boy oh boy did this work out in my favor as I found several great Washington wines that I can’t wait to try more of! I always walk into the Grand Taste with my go-to stops mapped out, so that I can make sure to hit the ones I have identified in advance. I took that approach once again this year, and managed to make it to many of the wineries and restaurants I had mapped out!

Upcoming Event: Taste Washington 2016 - March 31st - April 3rd - Various Locations

Taste Washington (Twitter: @TasteWashington), the nation’s largest single region food and wine event, is back in action from March 31^st to April 3^rd, 2016. As always, there are a multitude of events to please your palate, culminating with the Grand Taste on April 2^nd and 3^rd. Here is your one-stop shop for details on each of the various Taste Washington events and activities:

The 2016 Seattle Wine & Food Experience is Another Hit!

If you missed this year’s Seattle Wine & Food Experience (SWFE), you missed out big! This year’s event was a hit, and guests left with extremely full bellies and a list of new wine, beer, cider and spirits favorites. I personally LOVED the food options at this year’s event. The restaurants certainly brought their A-game and the food offerings were simply delightful. I also discovered a new cidery and had the chance to try several offerings of my favorite type of beverage: sparkling wine/champagne! In case you missed my Instagram feed at the event (find me on Instagram: sipsandthecity), here are my favorites and finds from this year’s Seattle Wine & Food Experience.

Upcoming Event: 6th Annual Cabernet Classic - February 6th, 2016 - Porche Bellevue

The “King of Grapes” is on showcase this next Saturday February 6^th, as Seattle Uncorked hosts the 6^th Annual Cabernet Classic! Elegant wines need an elegant location in which to be enjoyed, so this year’s event is being held at the new Porche Bellevue from 6-9pm. The event features 28 of Washington’s most exclusive wineries and will include Cabernets and Cab based blends from current releases and library selections. To top it off, guests will enjoy an easy arrival and departure with complimentary valet parking from Butler Valet.

Wineries pouring at this year’s Cabernet Classic include:

Alleromb

Avennia
Den Hoed

Ambassador Vineyard

Betz Family Winery

Bunnell Family Cellar

Corlis/Tranche

Côte Bonneville

DeLille Cellars

Dunham Cellars

EFESTE’

Fidelitas

Figgins Estate

Five Star Cellars

Hedges Family Estates

J. Bookwalter Winery

L’Ecole No. 41

Mullan Road (Cakebread)

Obelisco Estate

Pepper Bridge Winery

Reininger Winery

Smasne Cellars

Sparkman Cellars

Upchurch Vineyard

Va Piano Vineyards

Walla Walla Vintners

Waters Winery

Woodward Canyon Winery

Tickets are $100 and net proceeds from the event benefit Talk It Up TV and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. More information on the event and tickets are available here.

Upcoming Event: The 2016 Seattle Wine & Food Experience - February 20th & 21st, 2016

Oh it’s a new year in Seattle and you know what that means?! The Seattle Wine & Food Experience (SWFE) is once again almost upon us! That’s right folks, the deliciousness of Jamie Peha’s signature annual event is just around the corner. In true SWFE fashion, this year’s event is bigger and better than ever with more than 200 vendors lining the aisles at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall on Sunday February 21^st from 12-5pm (VIP) and 1-5pm (GA). POP! Bubbles and Seafood also returns for its second year, this time held in the elegant McCaw Hall on Saturday evening February 20^th from 6-9pm.