Tri-City festival plans fine wines, dining

KENNEWICK -- You can learn how Washington's wine industry developed, sample fine wines and enjoy a gourmet dinner all at the 32nd Tri-Cities Wine Festival on Nov. 5-6 at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick.

The event is Washington's longest-running judged wine festival, begun by the Tri-Cities Wine Society and now a major fundraiser for its educational fund.

"Again this year, the society is planning to donate funds generated by its events, including the Festival, to the Washington Wine Industry Foundation to provide scholarships for area students in the fields of viticulture and enology," said Wine Society President Ted Davis.

The festival is a judged wine competition but also includes a wine dinner/seminar, other seminars and a festive wine tasting with food exhibitors, vendors, music and a silent auction.

"With the ever-improving quality of Northwest wines, judging continues to be more and more intense, competitive and challenging," said Blaine Hulse, festival co-chairman. "As the Northwest wineries grow in number, so does the number of wines the public can sample at the festival. We are expecting more than 400 wines will be judged and then available for tasting Saturday evening."

Tickets for all festival events are available through Ticketmaster at www.ticket master.com, at Ticketmaster outlets and at the Toyota Center ticket office, 6016 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. Tickets for the dinner and all seminars must be purchased in advance. A limited number of tickets for the Saturday evening wine tasting will be sold at the door.

The festival opens Friday with a five-course dinner and seminar from 6:30 to 10 p.m. at the convention center. The menu features fine Northwest wines paired with gourmet cuisine.

The evening begins with a sneak preview of some of the medal-winning wines entered in the judging.

Cost is $85. The menu will be posted on the festival website, www.tcwinefest.com.

Saturday offers a full day of educational seminars, followed by a public tasting of all the judged wines. All events are at the convention center. Tickets for each seminar are $35 and must be purchased in advance.

The three seminars are:

* "Developments in the Washington Wine Industry," from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Thomas Henick-Kling, director of the viticulture and enology program at Washington State University, will discuss new wine-growing regions, new grape cultivars and innovations in vineyard management and wine production. Participants will taste wine made from several of Washington's newer and lesser-known grape varieties.

* "Red Mountain from the Beginning," from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. A panel of Red Mountain grape growers and winemakers will talk about the early years of grape growing and production, the area's designation as an American Viticultural Area and what's ahead. Samples of Red Mountain wines will be poured.

* "Around the World with Sparkling Wines and Champagne," from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Eric Manz, winemaker at Mountain Dome Winery in Spokane, and Chad Diltz, winemaker at Tru Cellars in Walla Walla, will discuss the history of Champagne and other sparkling wines. Wines from France, Italy, Spain and Washington will be poured.

Saturday evening, the public tasting and silent auction offer guests a chance to sip, taste and enjoy nearly 400 Northwest wines with appetizers from Tri-City restaurants and caterers, along with complimentary cheese, bread, fruit and chocolate.

The ticket price, $60, includes all wines and foods.

"There will be a silent auction during the public tasting, with donations coming from Wine Society members, wineries, local artists and craftsmen, as well as from many area businesses," said Judy Di Piazza, silent auction chairman.

"They include everything from a wide variety of wines to wine-related items, special wine tour packages providing unique opportunities at select wineries, handmade items by specialty craftsmen and artwork by local artists," she said.

The public tasting runs from 7 to 10 p.m. at the convention center, 7016 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick.

For festival updates and more information, go to www.tcwinefest.com. Or send an e-mail to tcwinefest@gmail.com or call 509-528-4606.

Everyone attending any festival event must be 21 or older and have photo identification.

* Loretto J. Hulse: 509-582-1513; lhulse@tricity herald.com

This story was originally published October 1, 2010 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Tri-City festival plans fine wines, dining ."