Friday, Oct. 10, 2008

Wine festival on tap Nov. 7-8

By Loretto J. Hulse, Herald staff writer

Learn how the wine industry began in the Mid-Columbia, why where a grape grows determines how good a wine it becomes and sample some of the premier wines of the Northwest at the Tri-Cities Wine Festival on Nov. 7-8.

At 30 years, the festival is Washington's oldest judged event. It will be at the Pasco Red Lion Hotel and Tri-City Country Club in Kennewick.

On Nov. 7, learn how Mid-Columbia wine and food producers have grown and changed over the past 30 years at a seminar featuring a panel of winery pioneers. They'll discuss the beginnings of the wine industry in this area, how it's evolved over the past three decades and where it's going now.

There will be time for questions and several vintages to sample, plus a variety of Northwest foods to savor.

The seminar runs from 6:30 to 10 p.m. at the Tri-City Country Club, 314 N. Underwood. Cost is $65.

A second seminar Nov. 8 will explore the role an American Viticultural Area (AVA) plays in how a wine tastes.

Washington State University professor Alan Busacca will compare and contrast two AVAs -- Walla Walla Valley and the Wahluke Slope. He will compare the soils, climate and geology of the two AVAs.

Busacca will be joined by winemakers from the two areas who will discuss how they use the AVAs to produce their distinctive wines.

Several vintages from the two AVAs will be available for sampling along with foods chosen to complement them.

The seminar runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Red Lion, 2525 N. 20th Ave. Cost is $65.

On the evening of Nov. 8, pit your palate against the judges' at a public tasting at the Red Lion Hotel. Every one of the wines judged this year will be poured during the evening.

Can you pick out the Best of Show before it's announced?

Whether your goal is to explore a region's wines, taste some new varietals or discover a new favorite, the public tasting offers a chance to sample some of the Pacific Northwest's premier wines.

Complimentary cheese and bread will be available and the hotel's Bin No. 20 restaurant will be selling appetizers in the ballroom.

There also will be a silent auction running during the public tasting where you can bid on a variety of wine-related items and activities, including mixed cases of the wines being judged this year. Each case is guaranteed to include several of the wines winning awards this year.

The public tasting begins at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $55 per person in advance or $60 at the door.

For more information or to order tickets, go to http://TCWineFest.com or call 509-528-4606. Advance ticket purchase is recommended for seminars because seating is limited.

*Loretto J. Hulse: 582-1513; lhulse@tricityherald.com