QOTD: The traditional wine auctions of the Prädikat Wine Estates (VDP) in the Mosel region. Every Year at the end of September!

I’m going to the International Alsace Varietals Festival in Anderson Valley in February, really excited about that, it’ll be my first real wine festival. The only big wine event I’ve been to is the annual picnic Husch Vineyards does for their club members. It’s also in Anderson Valley, pretty awesome.

If you live near Wilmington, DE, then this event sounds fun:

http://www.frankswine.com/dinners.html#gwe

This wine is less about the score and more about the “experience”. You’d want to buy and try a bottle just to “check the box” since there’s only ~1k bottles produced and it’s an uber-blend of all those different clippings.

Since it sounds like it’s more than serviceable, I’d buy it just for the reasons above. Definitely worth the price for the experience.

Hi Gary, The best wine events are when go to wineries in the region with friends and do our own mini-tour…..

QOTD: Earth Day Food and Wine – Put on by Central Coast Vineyard team, near Paso Robles, CA in April. This has only been going 2 years and is already an awsome event, in part because it is not limited by specific AVA or varietal types. It has the best of the central coast vineyards (from Monterey down to Santa Barbara). This one is put on by the vineyard folks of the wineries so they are pouring their best wines and it seems to have a bit of a looser atmosphere, great location, great food, great people.

http://www.vineyardteam.org/events/earthday.php

I haven’t been to any wine festivals, so the best event for me would have been the first big trade tasting I attended. I enjoy being able to taste so many wines.
I’d like to make it to the ZAP event one of these years. I’m sure it’s great.
Thanks again for a good show.

And here I thought Petite Sirah was the first American varietal. Yes, I know it heritage comes from France, but doesn’t Zin have a similar family history from Italy?

QOTD: The best Wine Festival I’ve been to? By far and away the Bern’s Winefest in Tampa (every April)! Hundreds of great wines (no junk), lots of wine makers, unbelievable foods from their fameous kitchens, lectures, and remarkable Wine Dinners (with the wine makers). I’ve been to many great Wine Festivals, but for the $$ spent the Bern’s Winefest easily tops them all. And I live only 200 footsteps away!

QOTD: None, yet. sigh.

I guess the high price point of this Zin is due to it’s marketing value and rareness. 90 cases. I bet not one even reaches the old world.

Is the second name of you kid going to be ‘Thunder’? 😉

qotd: A wine and band event in the backyard at http://www.frischesweine.de . Although the wines were not as interesting as I expected, they were solid efforts to please – but neither wow nor scare – a broad audience. The irish folk music in the end was what ruled the night.

QOTD – I have attended a number of wine dinners with wine makers presenting their wines and a restaurant matching food with each wine. I enjoyed one with Halleck Winery of Sonoma.

QOTD: East Side Wine Tasting.

http://www.esns.org/index.asp?Type=B_EV&SEC={A7C12463-09B6-45DB-8891-3E7F1BD5D87E}&DE={A1698D32-259D-4097-87EE-7A2DCF2D1EB2}

This is an annual fund raiser that benefits Minneapolis’ Northeast neighborhood services. I don’t live in that area and I’m not sure what all is included in that, but I know the youth baseball program is.

The event is held on a small island in the Mississippi on the edge of downtown Minneapolis. Several of my friends, including several of my neighbors usually go. There are lots of vineyards, distributors, and local wine and food retailers that participate. It is a great time.

Thanks for the lowdown on wine happenings.

QOTD: I have only been to one wine festival at the Lakeridge Winery http://www.lakeridgewinery.com/ here in Florida. It was fun with food and singing and wine. Tastings and tour were nice. Just not the best wine.

Best one, hmmm, Vayniac Meet up at Crushpad or #2 at Fort Worth!

I do like the change of pace with the short episodes.

On another topic… I noticed a few of your wines in the free shipping sale you had last week were actually tasted on your show. Some were even given rave reviews like the Sauternes I bought that was tasted in the Gingerbread house episode. Don’t you usually get a lot of buyers after you give a 90+ score? How did these make it to the sale rack?

GARY!!
xo
QOTD: Will be attending my first large wine festival this year…
Will let you know….
😉

qotd: um… art shows with cheap, nasty “gros rouge” as we say in France!

That count? :p

QOTD: Haven’t been to that many wine “festivals,” but I had a great time at Wine 2.0 last year, and I expect the Thunder Cruise will be my new answer in a few months! It will surely trump all wine festivals everywhere!

Don’t know if you’re heard this one before: Your voice and inflections are almost identical to those of the character Charlie from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

90 cases! please dont waste that bottle gary!

QOTD: Winter Wine Road in Sonoma. Freakin’ awesome!

I haven’t been to a lot of large (over 50 people) wine events. Thus far, however, my favorite is probably “A Party for the Senses”, which is an event that EPCOT does every year during their Food and Wine Festival. I will be attending the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in Australia in March. You know I’m looking forward to that!

Wait! I just remembered a better favorite! A couple of years ago I was in Napa for my birthday. While in the Plumpjack tasting room we starting chatting with a guy who was celebrating his birthday as well. He proceeds to invite us to a party over at Stag’s Leap in their caves. Oh, it was heaven. We were drinking their Fay Vineyard Cab and their Cask 23. ’02 vintage of both. Fun stuff!

Hi Gary,
We want to say hello, and let you know how much we enjoy the Thunder show. Thank you for being so passionate about your wine and your personality is awesome. Its exciting to see everyone respond to your shows. I am proud to say that we are official Vayniacs. I would love to get T-shirts but the Vayniacs are out of stock. Do you know when you will be getting more in? I am not sure I like the one bottle show though. It was alot more fun when you were doing a variety of wines on the show. Looking forward to your future shows. We have been to quite a few wine festivals and we enjoy all of them. We are also wine retail shop owners and we are as passionate about the wine business. We wish you all the best and keep up the good work. If you get a chance drop us a line.

Thanks!

QOTD: Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival is hands down the best wine festival in the world!!!!!! Everyone needs to attend at least once. 10,000 people in the grand tasting room on the big nights! It’s amazing! 200+ producers, 700+ wines! This year’s theme is Wines from British Columbia. See everyone there!!

By far it’s Food Ex in Tokyo. It’s not only wine but they have all the wine one could think of plus awesomeness like Iberico ham, curry, cheese, olive oil. So you grab a plate, get your food and hang out in the wine section.