Taste of Vail pulls out all the stops for its Grand Tasting on Saturday
Zach Mahone/Courtesy photo
The Taste of Vail gives festival goers an authentic, uniquely-Vail experience by hosting a food and wine event on the top of Vail Mountain with Friday’s Mountaintop Tasting at Eagle’s Nest. The finale will be held in a more traditional setting: The Hythe Vail, which boasts one of the biggest ballrooms in the area. All that space will be needed to host the chefs and winemakers who will be bringing their finest to the Grand Tasting, a signature event at the 34th annual festival.
“It’s spectacular to see the chefs in the Vail Valley and guest chefs showcasing the best of the best bites for The Grand. Year after year, the dishes seem to keep getting better and better,” said Kate Lessman, public relations and sponsorship coordinator for the Taste of Vail. This year, the Taste of Vail invited chefs from Denver, San Francisco, Charleston, New Orleans, Kansas City and Mexico City.
“Plus, the winemakers are bringing their best bottles and some of them actually pour special bottles that are only available at their tasting rooms,” Lessman said. “It truly gives the Grand Tasting attendees an unforgettable evening of food and wine.”
The Grand Tasting is held from 5-8 p.m., and Lessman recommends getting there when it begins to beat the crowds. But, if a line does form at a certain booth, just go to the next — there is plenty of delicious food and great wine to go around.
Another thing Lessman wants to stress is attending the seminars that are being offered on Saturday. You don’t need to be an oenophile (connoisseur of wine) to enjoy learning about this craft. There’s often history, geography, science, weather patterns and a whole lot of passion from the winemakers involved in these educational offerings.
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“You don’t have to be an expert in wine — the seminars offer a welcoming and fun atmosphere for all attendees from beginners to advanced wine lovers to taste and learn about wine,” Lessman said. Delve a little deeper into the wine industry and you may discover that education has never been so fun and delicious.
Seminars on Saturday — Grand View Room in Lionshead
- The Essence of Napa: A Deep Dive into Terroir — 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
- Pushing Boundaries: The Maverick Spirit of Paso Robles Winemaking — 12:30-1:30 p.m.
- Van Duzer: Exploring the Willamette Valley: A Deep Dive into its Sub-AVAs — 2:30- 3:30 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased individually for each seminar and Grand Tasting tickets can be found at TasteOfVail.com.
