Festival Season!

WINE ON THE ROAD
by Greg McCluney

Ready for a wine weekend? Festival season is here!
Pick the mountains or the sea; days of wine and food are waiting.


Crawfish 'Nawlins style at the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience
Festival Season Begins in March For wine and food enthusiasts, March madness isn’t just about basketball. It marks the beginning of the festivals, tastings and events that continue through harvest in the fall—and offer the chance to enjoy the warm weather, wines and fresh foods of spring and summer. Of course, you can do some of the same indulgences without leaving the Atlanta area (remember our own High Museum event the last week of March), but getting out of town and into a different environment is often half the fun. And all the upcoming events covered here offer festival-goers the chance for other non-wine activities, as well. After all, you can’t just eat and drink for three to four days now, can you? Each event has its own personality and unique opportunities, and the cost of lodging, fees and transportation can vary widely. Event details are easily found on the web, so be sure to check them out in advance to avoid some ugly, and often expensive, surprises when you get there. Dinners, special tastings, hotel and transportation expenses can add up quickly. Some events are basically sold out a year in advance. Planning pays off so you can match the events you and your wallet are comfortable with.
Art and Wine are just like "peas n carrots". And with a little wine in your belly the check-book seems to come out even easier!	Couples tasting from table to table. Wine & Food festivals are great activities to share the day with someone.
What can you expect from these events? Wine, of course, and lots of it. Plus the chance to taste some pricey and unusual wines that may not available in the market. Food? Usually. And it can be as special as the wines, prepared by some of the best chefs in the respective area. Will you learn anything, or is it just a good excuse to eat and drink? (Your choice, but seminars are often available.) If it’s an auction, do you have to buy something? (No, but you may want to.) Will you have to judge or rate the wines? (Not unless you’re asked to.) How much will it cost and how long will you be there? (Events vary from one night to a weeklong extravaganza costing several thousand dollars per couple.) Each event is different in organization, format, content and schedule, but basically there are three types of events: 1) the wine (and usually food) festival, which can include all of the following events; 2) the wine auction (usually charitable) encompassing food and wine dinners, special seated tastings and a grand walk-around tasting with small plates throughout the venue; and 3) the wine competitions and judgings, which are rarely open to the public except for the final medal tasting event, a chance to taste the winning wines with some light food. Selected Wine Events (Note: Event dates and content are approximate and subject to change. Contact each event directly for dates, details, cost, accommodations, etc. Web searches will reveal hundreds of local wine events.) Masters of Food and Wine, (Carmel, CA): February each year. A very high-end event with top chefs and no auction. Dinners and luncheons at Park Hyatt host hotel are highlights. Check. www.hyatt.com for more info. Napa Valley Wine Auction (CA): June yearly. The mother ship of all wine auction/events, celebs, dinners, auction and dinner for 2,000 on the golf course. www.napavintners.com, or 707-963-3388 Smithgall-Woods resort wine weekends (GA): Beginning in February each year, an example of small events with specific wine region focus and tastings, several each year, wine education at pristine resort in the north Georgia mountains. Call 800-318-5348. San Antonio New World Wine and Food Festival (TX): Usually in the Fall, features wines/food from Mexico, Latin and South America and Texas, of course. Several days of events, seminars, dinners and tastings: www.nwwff.org or 800-ALAMO-07. New Orleans Wine & Food Experience (LA): In May, no auction, just lots of Big Easy food, friends and wine. A different twist in a different city. Royal St. Walk (and taste) is a highlight. Visit: bizneworleans.com or call 504-284-5900. Sarasota Winefest and Auction (FL): April each year, great dinners and luncheons in the area precede the auction usually at Ritz-Carlton, grand tastings and close to beaches and boating of Tampa Bay. Call: 877-FLA-WINE or www.floridawinefest.com. Taos Wine and Ski Festival (NM): Taste and ski; an unusual combo: call 505-776-2291 or e-mail tsv@skitaos.org. Central Coast Wine Classic (CA): A week-long event in July with dinners, tastings, seminars and an auction—and a dinner at Hearst Castle too. Eighteen years old, this is a classic. Contact: (805) 544-1285 or visit: www.centralcoastwineclassic.org Note: For more wine events nationwide, links and info, go to www.Localwineveents.com and search listings.

About Greg McCluney Greg McCluney, the Atlanta Wine School's Wine & Travel Editor, writes about food and wine for various publications and is a member of the International Wine, Food & Travel Writer's Association. He's also an active member of the Society of American Travel Writers and contributes to the James Beard House Publications division in New York. He tastes and travels from his home in Roswell, GA near Atlanta.