The Wonder of Wine

When the movers and shakers behind Wine Country International magazine — which has been based in Colorado for the past five years — were in Chile, they were asked by the owner of a Chilean winery why all the wine festivals in Colorado take place in the mountains. “We checked, and it’s very true,” notes Wine Country’s CJ Davies.

“What makes our festival unique is that when you go to some of these other events around the state, or even in the city, they’re usually produced by one or two distributors,” continues Davies. “So when you go to these kinds of events, it’s only the wines that those people distribute. We approach wineries around the world and invite them based on where they’re located and based on the quality. So we only have fourteen tables for California, because we want to have Oregon and Washington, also. We have some Colorado wines, but we also have wines from France and from Uruguay. The event actually takes almost a full year to pull off, because we’re constantly contacting different wineries.”

You can enjoy the fruits of their labors at the Denver International Wine Festival, which kicks off today with a Grand Vintner’s Scholarship Fundraiser Dinner at the University of Denver School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management, 2044 East Evans Avenue; another highlight will be tomorrow’s Taste of Elegance Chef’s Wine and Food Competition/Auction. “It’s sort of like Iron Chef meets wine,” explains Davies. The festival runs through November 1; visit www.denverwinefest.com for a full schedule of events.
Wed., Oct. 29, 6-9 p.m., 2008