September may mean the end of summer, the beginning of autumn, and back to school, but we’ve found some great events to help you extend your summer fun.
Lake Tahoe Autumn Food and Wine Festival, Truckee California, Sept. 5-7
Three full days of events include: the Culinary Competition & Grand Tasting, Farm to Tahoe Dinner, Village Wine and Brew Walk, Blazing Pans Mountain Chef Cook Off, the 16th Annual Charbay Party, Beer & Artisan Cheese Pairing, Winemaker for a Day seminars, the Petra Winery Luncheon, and Take a Hike!–a guided hike and trailside tasting.
Taste Around Town, Sept. 15-28
Taste Around Town is a wine week for New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta and Houston! From September 15-28, round up your friends and head out to your favorite restaurants and wine bars to taste great wines from Pine Ridge Vineyards, Marques de Casa Concha, Wines of Southwest France, Chateau Montelena, Wines of France and Penfolds. Wines will be featured in flights, pairing menus, by the glass or by the bottle for lunch and/or dinner, exclusively available during Taste Around Town. Be sure to request the Taste Around Town wine list from your server or bartender when you visit each participating restaurant or wine bar.
Hudson Valley Wine and Food Festival, Rhinebeck, New York, Sept. 6-7
Enjoy tasting the delicious beverages from more than 75 wineries, 5 distilleries and craft breweries from around New York. Plus more than 100 gourmet specialty food, art, craft and home goods vendors will be there. Visitors will enjoywine tasting and food sampling, as well as the demonstrations by well-known chefs. The celebratory atmosphere is enhanced by live music.
Rhone Rangers Tasting, Los Angeles, California, Sept. 9
The Rhone Rangers will again ride into Los Angeles, with over 50 wineries pouring their American versions of Rhone-style wines (syrah, grenache, mourvèdre, viognier, marsanne, roussanne, grenache blanc, and more). The events include a seminar, a silent auction and a walk-around tasting reception.
Pinot in the City, Seattle, Washington, Sept. 11
Sixty-six Willamette Valley wineries will showcase their flagship pinot noirs in addition to a diverse selection of other cool-climate wines including chardonnay, riesling, and pinot gris. Winemakers and owners will pour, giving you the chance to meet the faces behind the labels of Oregon’s premier wine region.
GrapeFest: A Wine Experience, Grapevine, Texas, Sept. 11-14
Texas wines from across the state, as well as wines from Washington State and Italy will be highlighted. Events include: Pre-Festival Wine & Culinary Pairing Dinners, the People’s Choice Wine Tasting Classic, the Texas Wine Tribute, GrapeStomp and the Champagne Cork Shoot-Off.
3rd Annual Around the World in 80 Sips®, Boston, Massachusetts, Sept. 12
Join Team Bottlenotes for 80+ unlimited tastes of wine from a wide range of countries and regions including California, Portugal, New Zealand and more. Discover new favorites and ask the experts questions to boost your knowledge. Enjoy light hors d’oeuvres.
Crocker Park Wine Festival, Westlake, Ohio, Sept. 12-13
Enjoy 150 wines from local, national and international producers well as select craft beers and spirits. There will also be musical entertainment, educational wine seminars, a variety of exhibitors and artists, plus delectable food. The event benefits health-related charities in the Cuyahoga County area and beyond.
Harvest in the Square, New York, New York, Sept. 18
Chefs from popular restaurants in New York’s Union Square will serve tastings of signature dishes using fresh produce from Union Square Greenmarket, while wines and microbrews will be served with each offering. Event proceeds support ongoing efforts to beautify and maintain Union Square Park.
Newport Mansions Wine and Food Festival, Newport, Rhode Island, Sept. 19-21
Events include: Two-day Grand Tasting with hundreds of wines on the lawn of Marble House, celebrity chef appearances and cooking demonstrations, seminars with leading wine experts, the Wine & Rosecliff gala celebration, a Collectible Wine Dinner, Newport After Dark party, and Winemaker’s Brunch. All proceeds benefit The Preservation Society of Newport County.
B.R. Cohn Charity Events Fall Music Festival, Glen Ellen, California, Sept. 19-22
Join Bruce Cohn, Melissa Etheridge, the Wallflowers, Peter Frampton, Los Lonely Boys, John Waite, Huey Lewis and the News and more at B.R. Cohn Winery for this fall tradition in Sonoma wine country. The event benefits veterans and local charities, such as the Redwood Empire Food Bank.
Vermont Life Wine & Harvest Festival, West Dover, Vermont, Sept. 19-21
Enjoy three days of sampling Vermont’s finest wines, spirits, cheeses and farm-fresh products. Events include: the festival preview tasting and the Village Stroll, Vermont Soup Tasting Contest, and Comparative Chardonnay Tasting Seminars. Parents, this event includes Kids in the Country Day Care.
Rodney Strong Vineyards Celebrity Chef Tour Silver Anniversary Dinners, Healdsburg, California; New York, New York; Miami, Florida; and Austin, Texas, Sept. 20
Scores of the world’s top chefs are coming together on one night during a simultaneous Celebrity Chef Tour dinner in four cities to celebrate 25 years of Tom Klein’s family ownership of Rodney Strong Vineyards. A live video feed from each location will link the cities together through an online experience.
Santa Fe Wine and Chile Fiesta, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Sept. 24-28
Explore the fruitful pairing of wine and chile. Events include the Grand tasting featuring tastes from 80 of Santa Fe’s finest restaurants and sips from 100 world-class wineries, guest chef demos, restaurant wine dinners, the Champagne Ruinart & Dirty Boots Brunch and the Gruet Golf Classic.
Savor the Central Coast, Santa Margarita, California, Sept. 25-28
Sip more than 200 wines, indulge in culinary bites from over 30 local chefs, meet winemakers, brew masters and artisans, tour the Central Coast Pavilion and learn from Sunset Magazine’s expert editors.
Smith Mountain Lake Wine Festival, Moneta, Virginia, Sept. 27-28
Sample offerings from 27 Virginia wineries. Also enjoy 85 craft and food vendors at this end-of-the-summer celebration with live music at Lakewatch Plantation.
Sedona Winefest, Sedona, Arizona, Sept. 27-28
Take one part Arizona wineries, add Sedona cuisine, live music, vendors galore, an exclusive VIP area, mini seminars on all things wine, toss in exciting raffle prizes, an Art Exhibit, and some fantastic views, and you get the Sedona Winefest with 15+ wineries.
Institute of Masters of Wine (North America) Champagne Tasting, San Francisco, California, Sept. 29
One of the largest and most prestigious tastings of Champagne in North America, the tasting will include many exceptional Champagnes organized by style: Non-vintage, Demi-Sec, Vintage, Blanc de Blancs , Rosé, and Blanc de Noirs wines. Enjoy Champagne while overlooking the San Francisco Bay and the Bay Bridge.
Bottlenotes, is are very excited to be hosting Taste Around Town from September 15 to 28 in New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta and Houston. Come join us! We are also bringing Around the World in 80 Sips® back to Boston for the third year in a row. If you are anywhere near Beantown-, don’t miss it!
Hi I’m Catherine, founder of Wine Women And Chocolate. Want to become a contributor for Wine, Women & Chocolate? Interested in sharing your unique perspective to a group of supportive, like-minded women? 