Voice of the Mid-Columbia | Kennewick, Pasco and Richland, Wash. |
Print
Email Story
tool name
closeMonday, Oct. 19, 2009
Sniff, swirl, sip at 31st Tri-Cities Wine Festival
By Loretto J. Hulse, Herald food writer
KENNEWICK — It's a new decade and there's a new location for the 31st annual Tri-Cities Wine Festival.
The festival will be held Nov. 6-7 at the Three Rivers Convention Center, 7016 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick.
The event is Washington's longest-running judged wine festival, and is the Tri-Cities Wine Society's annual public event and major fundraiser for its educational fund.
Society President Ted Davis said the society will donate proceeds to the Washington Wine Industry Foundation to provide scholarships for area students in viticulture and enology.
"The festival supports the society mission to educate its members and the public about wine and the wine industry," Davis said.
The festival includes seminars, a public tasting, area artisans and a silent auction. Nearly 100 wineries have entered, and the judges will be tasting and awarding medals to more than 350 Northwest wines.
The festival opens Nov. 6 with a six-course dinner and seminar from 6:30 to 10 p.m. at the convention center. The menu features Northwest wines paired with gourmet cuisine in a pairing seminar. The full menu is on the festival website, www.tcwinefest.com. The cost is $85 per person.
The next day offers a full plate of seminars, with a public tasting of all the judged wines in the evening.
The four seminars are:
-- The Wine Aisle Mystery: Wine Pairing on a Budget -- 10:30 a.m. to noon. The seminar is co-sponsored by Yoke's Fresh Markets in West Richland and will be led by the store's sommelier, Christopher Sagadin. The cost is $20.
-- Acid and Wine: The "Why" -- 10:30 a.m. to noon. Wade Wolfe of Thurston Wolfe Winery in Prosser will discuss why acid level is important. The cost is $40.
-- Northwest Tempranillos -- 1:30 to 3 p.m. Earl Jones of Abacela Winery in Roseburg, Ore., will help participants smell, swirl, sip and learn. The cost is $30.
-- Scent-Sational -- 1:30 to 3 p.m. Kerry Ringer and Richard Larsen, both of Washington State University, will use sensory analysis to identify characteristic aromas and flavors in red and white wines. The cost is $35.
Saturday evening, the public tasting and silent auction offer guests a chance to taste more than 350 judged Northwest wines from nearly 100 wineries.
Food options have been expanded to include appetizers from several area chefs -- with guests voting for their favorite -- along with complimentary cheese, bread, fruit and chocolate.
Vendors in the lobby will have a variety of wine-related items for sale, ranging from John Clement photos to T-shirts and totes.
The silent auction has been expanded and will be set up in the lobby. The doors will open at 5:30 p.m., giving festival ticketholders a chance to preview items before the public tasting. The tasting runs from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the convention center. Tickets are $60.
All festival events are open to the public, but attendees must be at least 21 years old and have photo ID.
Tickets for all events, except for the Saturday public tasting, must be purchased in advance. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster, www.ticketmaster.com, or at the Toyota Center box office, 7016 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. Tickets for the tasting can be purchased in advance or at the door.
For festival updates and more information, go to www.tcwinefest.com, e-mail tcwinefest@gmail.com or call 509-528-4606.
-- Loretto J. Hulse: 509-582-1513; lhulse@tricityherald.com
@Nyx.CommentBody@