Sun Wine Fest ‘12

Yesterday’s Mohegan Sun Wine Fest was more than I ever fathomed. There was more wine and beer under one roof than I ever thought possible!

Unfortunately, due to our morning run and breakfast, we missed the Media only portion of the festival in the morning but made it down by 1pm ready for an afternoon of sampling. The event was very well organized, considering the masses of people and exhibitors. There were signs around every corner directing you to token purchases for the food, celebrity chef demonstrations, and most importantly the wine glasses for the tasting.

Glasses in hands, we entered the festival, which has held in Mohegan’s Convention Center, ready to start sipping.

Though we realized the festival included food, liquor, and beer in addition to the wine, we decided to start with the wine section and avoid the liquor section all together.

While the initial entrance was a bit overwhelming, we decided to pace ourselves with a few strategies.

1. Only go to vineyards that we really wanted to try or seemed interesting.
2. After one sip of a wine if it isn’t worth it, pour the rest out.
3. If you love the wine, try and take a picture so you can remember later.
4. Take advantage of the food and water booths to ensure that we last beyond an hour or two.

We started near the entrance, perusing the booths for wineries that we recognized. I instantly realized that I wish I’d known a few of my favorite wine’s vineyards in advance. Some wines are part of a larger vineyard and weren’t on the booth sign. If we’d used the guide they provided us with a bit better this may have served us well.

The representatives at each of the booths were very friendly and eager to answer questions or provide suggestions. For example, while we sipped on some pinot noirs, we often asked how the their varietals compared.

Some of my personal favorite wines of the day are pictured below, along with links to their website.

Chateau St Michelle

Valley of the Moon

La Crema Chardonnay

La Linda Pinot Noir

Mac Murray

Entwine

Rombauer

In between our sips of wine, we were able to taste some delicious food which pairs perfectly with wine: cheese, chocolate, and dips.

My favorite food of the day was the Wicked Natural dips, which are based in Rhode Island and feature all natural ingredients while combining some great flavors to create unique dips and salsas. We couldn’t get enough of the Black Bean Sweet Potato Dip or the Caramel Mustard Dip. In fact, I may have just ordered four of their dips and salsa on the train!

Needless to say, we enjoyed every minute of the wine tasting but after two hours, we were ready to change things up with some food and beer.  We took a quick water break and photo stop before heading upstairs for the beer! Who knew that we’d end up enjoying the beer tasting just as much, if not more than the wine portion.

I’ll be back with Sun Wine Fest ‘12 Part 2 tomorrow. Until then, tell me, what is your favorite wine ever that I have to try sometime soon?