Tickets on Sale for 2011

Tickets are now on sale for the 2011 Seattle Food and Wine Experience. The 2011 event will take place on February 27, 2011 from 1pm - 5pm at Seattle Center Exhibition Hall. As with the previous two years, the Experience will feature over a thousand wines to sample from around the globe, gourmet tastes prepared by top Northwest chefs, artisan breweries, coffee, live music and more. Ticket cost is $49 each which includes entry and all sampling. Tickets can be purchased from Brown Paper Tickets. A portion of each ticket sold will benefit The Giving Grapes Foundation, a 501c3 charity that provides financial aid to service industry professionals in times of crisis.

The Seattle Food and Wine Experience is still accepting vendors and sponsors. Current sponsors include Taste of Tulalip, Washington State Beef Commission, Chateau Ste. Michelle, QFC, Seattle Magazine and KWJZ. Visit the show website for more information. http://seattlefoodandwineexperience.com/

Wine Barrels to Help the Homeless

Above are some more pictures of the 10 wines barrels to be auctioned at the Seattle Food and Wine Experience. See the previous post for additional pictures and the names of the artists who have donated their time to help Heroes for the Homeless, a Seattle charity dedicated to advocating for individuals in the city without housing. These barrels will only be available at the Seattle Food and Wine Experience. Click here to purchase your tickets today!

Explore New Zealand

New Zealand was the last landmass on earth to be discovered, making it the youngest country in the world at just over a thousand years old.

New Zealand cuisine draws inspiration from the traditional kitchens of France and Italy, as well as the exotic dishes of Asia and the Pacific Rim.

Travelers to New Zealand enjoy pristine natural surroundings, unique wildlife and adventure activities.

New Zealand is home to the kiwi, a flightless bird about the size of a large hen, which is also the nickname for a New Zealander.

Kiwis (the people not the birds) drink almost 3 gallons of wine per person per year, which makes them 28th in the world for wine consumption.

They rank 33rd in wine production.

New Zealand is known for their exotic, vibrant intensely flavored Sauvignon blanc.

Several Sauvignon blancs from New Zealand will be available for tasting at the Seattle Food and Wine Experience.

Other popular varietals from New Zealand include Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sparkling Wines, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

The vineyards of New Zealand are the most southerly in the world.

For information about travel to New Zealand visit http://www.newzealand.com/travel/USA/

For more information about New Zealand wine visit http://www.nzwine.com/

Explore Napa Valley

The Napa Valley in California is about 55 miles northeast of San Francisco.

Napa Valley is visited by as many as five million people each year, making it the second most popular tourist destination in California, second only to Disneyland.

Though just 30 miles long and a few miles wide, Napa Valley is home to diverse microclimates and soils uniquely suited to the cultivation of a variety of fine wine varietals. This climate covers only 2% of the world’s surface.

It is California’s best known wine region even though it produces only 4% of the states wines.

Napa Valley is home to almost 400 wineries.

Only 9% of Napa County is planted to vineyards.

Among the internationally acclaimed wines produced in this small region: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Sangiovese, Zinfandel and Cabernet Franc.

In addition to touring wineries visitors enjoy scenic balloon rides, regenerating spa mud baths and world class cuisine.

Napa Valley is the Featured Wine Region for the 2008 Seattle Food and Wine Experience.

For more information about travel to Napa Valley visit http://www.napavalley.com/.
For more information about Napa Valley wines check out http://www.napavintners.com/.

Are California wines better than French wines?

It seems like I can't turn on the computer these days without finding an article or review about Bottle Shock, the independent film based on the true story of "The Judgement of Paris" tasting where California wine beat French wine in a blind taste test in 1976.

While the wines at the Seattle Food and Wine Experience won't be served blind, you will be getting a rare opportunity in Seattle to taste French wines and California wines together in one place. For those of you who are hard-core Washington wine lovers you will be able to compare and contrast them next to their French and California counterparts, affirming what makes wines from Washington unique. But why stop at France and the USA? Wines from all over the globe will be represented. Over a thousand different wines coming together to create a sensory trip around the world.

Whether or not you are old enough to remember the tasting depicted in the Bottle Shock movie, the Seattle Food and Wine Experience will allow you to "judge" for yourself which wine regions are the best.

Tickets are on sale!

Tickets to the Seattle Food and Wine Experience are on sale now! The inaugural event will take place 10/25 and 10/26/08 and will be the first of this magnitude to feature wines from around the globe combined with gourmet food in Seattle. Only a limited number of tickets are available and the event is expected to sell out. To purchase your tickets visit ticketmaster.