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.