Killington
posted
Jul 19, 2012
Signature events include the Estate Wine Tasting, Grand
Tasting at 4,241', Wine & Nine and the all-new Killington Wine
Trail.
The Killington Chamber of Commerce is pleased to welcome back
the Killington Wine Festival, to be held this weekend, July 20-22,
in Killington. Now in its 11th year, the Festival continues its
tradition of bringing hundreds of fine wines from around the world
to the Green Mountains in summer. The Festival is toasting to
its second decade of mountain wine events by building on to the
popular Estate & Grand Tastings, and introducing a new event,
the Killington Wine Trail.
The Killington Wine Festival kicks off on Friday at 6 p.m. with
the Estate Wine Tasting at a new location, the poolside patio at
the Killington Grand Hotel, offering sprawling view of Snowshed
Pond and Killington Mountain. Thirteen wineries will sample their
collections of estate and reserve wines. This intimate tastings
caps off at 100 tickets, giving attendees and winery
representatives the opportunity to discuss the nuances of the fine
wines being poured. Tickets for this event are $65 and advanced
purchase is recommended.
A new addition to this year's schedule of events is the
Killington Wine Trail, where a dozen restaurants along Killington
Road will transform into 'tasting rooms' to showcase a special
wine, or food and wine pairing. These specials will run on
Friday from 6-10 p.m. at Birch Ridge Inn, Casey's Caboose,
Charity's Saloon, Choice's Restaurant, Domenic's Upscale Pizza
Joint, The Garlic, The Grist Mill, Jax Food & Games, Liquid
Art, Lookout Tavern, Mogul's Sports Pub and Peppino's Italian
Restaurant. Each stop will feature a different wine or wine
portfolio paired with bites ranging from gourmet cheese to Italian
tapas to desserts. Reservations are not required and prices vary at
each establishment.
Free transportation between stops is available.
The signature event of the Festival, The Grand Tasting at
4,241', will be held on Saturday from 1-4 p.m. at Killington
Resort's brand new Roaring Brook Umbrella Bars, completed in
December 2011. One of the Umbrella Bars will become the 'Vermont
Pavilion', dedicated to Vermont wines and local artisanal foods
including cheese, sausage, jams and more. Distributor partners
Baker Distributing, g.housen, Farrell Distributing, Calmont
Beverage Co. & Vermont Wine Merchants will present a seemingly
endless variety of wines produced domestically and from places as
far away as France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Germany, New Zealand,
Japan, Chile, Argentina and South Africa. While sipping wine,
guests can enjoy hors d' oeuvres, stunning mountain views and live
music by the Adam Ezra Duo.
Tickets for the event are $55 and include a signature tote and
wine glass and a roundtrip ride to Killington Peak on the K1
Express Gondola.
The fun continues on Saturday night, when local chefs and
wineries from the weekend's tastings will team up to create wine
dinners at Birch Ridge Inn, Liquid Art, Red Clover Inn & Snow
Angel Tavern. Advanced reservations are needed, as these events
typically fill up quickly.
The weekend wraps up with two relaxing Sunday events - A Bubbly
Brunch at Wally's American Grille and the Wine and Nine Golf
Scramble at the premier Green Mountain National Golf Course. Always
a sell-out event, the Wine and Nine offers golfers of all abilities
a chance to play a lighthearted round of golf on Vermont's #1
Public Golf Course before drawing the weekend to a close.
For those looking to experience both signature tastings, a Patron
Ticket is available which includes the Estate Wine Tasting and VIP
one-hour early admission to the Grand Tasting for $125. More
information, tickets and accommodation packages for all budgets are
available online through killingtonchamber.com or by calling the
Killington Chamber of Commerce at (800) 337-1928.
