Rock Me All Night Long - Win 2 tickets to Wine Rocks Seattle 2012!

Have you procrastinated in obtaining your Wine Rocks 2012 tickets? Do you like free stuff? Well, then I have the contest for you. Sips & the City is giving away a pair of tickets to this year's Wine Rocks event, which (as I previously wrote about) is happening Wednesday July 11th, 2012.

Want a shot at the tickets? Here's what you have to do:

1. Head on over to the Twittersphere and follow @WineRocksSEA. There are great updates posted about the event.
2. Stop by the Wine Rocks Seattle facebook page and give them a "like". You'll also find more information about the event here.
3. Leave a comment on this post. I had fun with this last year by having people pair their favorite type of wine and music. Do it again! Think of it like a food & wine pairing but with music & wine. Get creative! Please make sure to leave your full name so I can find you if you win.

I'll randomly pick from all comments on Friday June 29th, 2012 at noon. Don't miss out on a chance to win tickets to what will surely be a fantastic event!

Upcoming Event: Wine Rocks Seattle 2012 - Elliott Hall at Pier 66

 Back for the 5th year in a row, Wine Rocks is set to once again showcase the "rockin'" side of wine, this year at Elliott Hall at Pier 66 on the Seattle waterfront. This year's event will take place on Wednesday July 11th, from 6 to 10pm. With the food trucks returning (those were a great feature at least year's event) and over 35 wineries, breweries and distilleries on hand, it's sure to be a great time (as always). One of the best parts of the event isn't just that there's music, but that the performances are by some of Washington's winemakers themselves! The line-up for this year includes:

• The Wicker Rhinos – Paul Gregutt (wine writer) and Larry Davidson (sommelier)
• The Fox & The Raven – Chip McLaughlin (Vinyl Wines) and Mari Gisele
• Turbo Grape Mashers – Gordy Rawson (Chatter Creek Cellars)
• Shelly & the Curves
• Soul Jelly

So how did Wine Rocks come to be? Founder Jen Doak states, “I created Wine Rocks in 2008 as an open house event for Gibson Guitars to bring publicity to their showroom. I suggested that they bring in a few local winery owners who also love strumming their guitars. The concept was a huge hit and Wine Rocks has grown every year since.” And boy has it ever. I've had the privilege of attending the past two year's events and each year it grew and changed venues to larger spaces. I can't wait to be down on the waterfront on a (hopefully) beautiful Seattle summer evening.

To date, participating wineries include: Animale Winery, Baer Winery, Barons V, Barrage Cellars, Celaeno Winery, Chatter Creek Winery, Corvus Cellars, DiStefano Winery, Dusted Valley Vintners, Eye of the Needle, Fidelitas Wines, Fjellene Cellars & Vineyard, Gifford Hirlinger, Glencorrie Winery, Gorman Winery, Guardian Cellars, Hightower Cellars, Jones of Washington, Kiona Vineyard & Winery, Long Shadows, Magnificant Wine Co., Mark Ryan Winery, Michael Florentino Cellars, Pontin del Roza Winery, Purple Star, Renegade Wine Co., Robert Ramsay Cellars, Smasne Cellars, Terra Blanca, Treveri Cellars, Walter Dacon Wines and Waters Winery.

Tack on some great breweries: Pike Brewing Company and Pyramid Breweries

And some distilleries: BroVo Spirits and Project V Distillery and Sausage Company

And you’ve got the recipe for another great Peha Promotions event!

This year’s Wine Rocks event benefits The Giving Grapes Foundation, a 501c3 organization that assists local charities who provide financial assistance to service industry professionals who have to take time off work due to injury or illness.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! Sips & the City will be giving away a pair of tickets to this awesome event! Be on the lookout for the post detailing the giveaway (coming soon)!

What are you waiting for? Get your tickets here and I’ll see you on the Pier for Wine Rocks 2012!

Sips on the Road: Oregon Unwine'd - Portland, OR

 As I walked into the first ever Oregon Unwine’d event at the Left Bank Annex (@leftbankannex) in Portland, I must have looked like a combination of a kid in a candy store and a deer in the headlights. I had no idea where to even start. My journey in wine has so far kept me very much in Washington (save for a few trips here and there) and Oregon is a region I have not had a chance to really explore. I can honestly say I think I can count on just two hands how many of the 100 wineries in attendance I had tasted before. This created a unique opportunity for me as I set about my tasting: no bias. Since I hadn’t really explored the regions of Oregon wine country at all, I really had no preference when it came to one area over another. I started making the rounds starting first in tasting whites and rosés and quickly realized that Oregon knows a little somethin’ somethin’ about rosé. Rosé of Pinot noir to be more precise. This already light grape transforms beautifully into a crisp, dry, and very appealing rosé. I knew just a few wineries into my tasting what my focus for this event and my post was going to be about. And so, without further ado, the best of rosé at this year’s Unwine’d event (in alphabetical order)!

Taste Washington 2012 - CenturyLink Events Center - Seattle, WA

Once again, Taste Washington proved that it reigns supreme as THE wine event in the state. While some were skeptical of this year’s new two-day format, the worries were unwarranted. Both the crowds and winemakers alike seemed to very much enjoy the new version of Taste Washington. Over two days this past weekend, over 4,000 glasses were used and an estimated 200,000 wine pours were given out to tasters. The seminars also had a big draw this year, with standing room only crowds in several of them. I took in the sips and bites on Sunday afternoon, and as always, came away with a few new favorites. I try to make it a goal to try as many new wines as possible, and I was excited to try a few brands I had previously never heard of. So what were my favorites? Read on!