The Seattle Wine & Food Experience Ups the Ante

The Seattle Wine & Food Experience is rolling into town on Sunday February 24th. The fourth iteration of the event finds the volume turned up considerably this year and an opportunity for those in attendance to certainly taste Northwest wines but also explore, ciders, beers and and spirits. Additionally, as the title indicates there will be food. (It turns out lots of food from some of the region's more renowned establishments.)

What the title doesn't indicate is that the Seattle Wine & Food Experience is probably one of the more unique consumer wine tasting events in both Seattle and the Northwest. With 32 Washington wineries and 33 from Oregon as well as wines from Idaho, and someplace called California the event offers both focus and range. Where it gets interesting from the attendee's standpoint is with a lot of the "programming" and educational events that will go on throughout the event.

Let's face it though folks, brevity reigns when it comes to titles and so it's likely that the Seattle Wine, Cider, Spirits, Beer, Coffee and Food Educational Experience never crossed the event's producer Jamie Peha's mind as a title option. "I feel strongly that there needs to be more to an event than just eating and drinking and I'm a big proponent of making sure all audiences are served well.  We encourage vendors/sponsors to create an educational bent to their participation and really offer consumers a way to engage with their products or services more deeply."

Folks can expect to taste a lot of wine of course, and in so doing there is a lot to be learned, but don't let the learning stop there. Cooking demonstrations with Stella Artois, and probably coolest of all is a beef tasting of Washington corn fed beef against Midwestern raised beef, a throw-down of sorts. I'd be lying if this didn't remind me of the story of the chef of McMinnville's Thistle, who got into a fistfight over a pig tasting, at Cochon 555 a couple years back in Portland. Let's hope peace prevails.

With any experience you get out what you put into it. If you're looking for an opportunity to submerge yourself into Northwest wine beyond Washington, or if you're looking to explore about 20 different spirits being produced here in the Northwest or if you're just looking for a good time you'll probably find all of those options at the Seattle Wine & Food Experience.

(I forgot to mention the whole reason for the "Up the Ante" title was the Snoqualmie Casino sponsorship and they'll actually be doing some gaming tables at the event. If you know when to hold em and know when to fold em, make sure you check that out as well.)

Tickets are still available here, but remember, the event sells out each year. Maybe I'll see you there?

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