Thursday, September 29
Guided Fishing and Sipping on the Elk River
1-5 p.m.
This event is a unique and exclusive experience for guests, with only four tickets available in total. Guests start their day at the Marabou Ranch Owners Lodge, where you will sample whiskey with Ian Hosack, brand diplomat for Makers Mark. Afterwards, guests will gear up for an exclusive fly fishing session on a private section of the renowned Elk River. Private guides will instruct on casting and catching trophy trout in the freestone river as.
Then, return to the Owners Lodge for a Barolo wine tasting with Jon Schlegel, the host and founder of Attimo.
Welcome Cocktail Party with Festival Talent
5 p.m.
Exclusively for all-access passholders.
Sabores & Sobremesa
6 p.m.
Alpine Mountain Ranch & Club Barn
Sobremesa: the tradition of conversation and leisure around the dining table. Join Chef Dana, as she turns up the heat for this no-filter, all-character, Mexican-style dinner featuring all the flavors of the perfect Asada. Enjoy wines from the Valle de Guadalupe and Doña Loca, Chef Dana’s own brand of tequila and mezcal, all while soaking up the atmosphere of the expansive Alpine Mountain Ranch. Even the most familiar guests to Mexico are sure to experience sensational flavors for the very first time.
Bubbles, Bourbon & Burgers
7 p.m.
Truffle Pig
Chefs, Schulyer Houfek and Dino DiBell will elevate your expectations of what a burger can be. Sample three different mouthwatering sliders while sipping private label Maker’s Mark Bourbon and Champagne. This inspired pairing could cause levitation.
New American Innovation
7 p.m.
Yampa Valley Kitchen
Food & Wine Magazine’s Best New Chef 2010 & James Beard Award Winner Jonathon Sawyer will join four-time SWFW Chef Joe Campbell and James Beard Nominated, Timothy Fischer, for an innovative New American Dinner. Enjoy wines from Alexander Valley paired with dinner.
Caviar Surf & Turf
7:30 p.m.
Primrose presented by Alpine Bank
Caviar lovers: don’t miss this extraordinary dinner! Primrose Executive Chef/Owner Collin Kelly and his longtime friend Chef Tristen Epps of Red Rooster Overtown in Miami will create a quintet of courses featuring surf, turf and Black River Caviar. In addition to the delectable sustainably-sourced caviar, they’re proud to feature meats that have been locally sourced in collaboration with Alpine Bank, the Community Ag Alliance and Routt County 4-H.
Friday, September 30
Spanish Tapas Lunch
11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
Meatbar
Indulge in a long tapas-style lunch paired with Orison Wines, hosted at Meatbar, Butcher Laura Posiak’s newest location on Lincoln Avenue. Laura performed our very first butchery demo seminar, so look for her skills to shape the protein on your plates.
To California, From Spain: A Passing of the Oaks
12 p.m.
Zandee Gallery
Unearth what’s positively Paso Robles and the influences Spain has had on growing techniques in the wine-soaked California community, known for its hilly vineyards and unique varietals.
Responsible Distilling: Drink Sustainably
12:30-1:15 p.m.
Jace Romick Gallery
As important in the spirits we make, as in the food we prepare, incorporating sustainability in the distillation process is sweeping the spirits industry. Marble Distilling leads a fascinating exploration of how spirits are made, revealing the newer, practices of distilling compared to the old school methods, how they affect the quality and quantity of production and their long-term impact on the craft spirits industry. A lively discussion is sure to follow during product tastings and featured cocktails from Rowdy Mermaid and Strongwater.
White Wines of Piedmont
1:30-3 p.m.
Zandee Gallery
With or without bubbles, Piedmont’s whites are delightful. Join sommelier and educator, Scott Thomas, on a guided tasting of one of Italy’s most acclaimed wine-growing regions. While Piedmont ranks sixth of Italy’s 20 major regions in wine-production volume, we’ll be focused on sipping some of its most tantalizing whites.
Tortillas, Tequila & Tinto
2:30-4 p.m.
Jace Romick Gallery
Expand your experience of Mexican cuisine and libations with celebrated Chef Dana Rodriguez who’s reimagining everything from tortillas to tequila, including her own brand, Doña Loca. Your evening with Dana will also include a “stop” in Baja, in the emerging wine region of Valle de Guadalupe, for the Tinto–red wine–stands up to the spice of a Mexican meal.
Old Fashioned: A Style Beyond the Cocktail
3:30-5 p.m.
Truffle Pig
Take one part Mark Stanford, one part Makers Mark or Knob Creek Cask Strength, and more than a modicum of magic and you’ll get an Old Fashioned that’s spirited and new. If you’re a fan of this muddled mixture, you’ll be delighted to experience the Old Fashioned in some very fun and interesting new incarnations.
Creating with Cognac: Smoky Cocktails
4-5:30 p.m.
Standard Gallery
Distilled twice from white wine and aged in oak for at least two years, cognac can be married to everything from coffee to fruit and rye. Learn to mix, drink and include this distinctly French spirit in your cocktail repertoire.
The Whole Lamb
5 p.m.
Snow Bowl
Grass-fed Colorado sheep bred to produce lamb noted for its mild flavor and tenderness will be the centerpiece of this memorable wine-pairing dinner.
During the appetizer hour, Kelly Karachi, head butcher at Blackbelly Butcher in Boulder, will demonstrate whole lamb butchery while discussing its origins and how it was raised with Buckner Family Ranch owners, Clint and MaryKay Buckner, from whom the lamb was sourced. Attendees will also have the opportunity to purchase fresh cuts of lamb from the demonstration to take home and cook. All proceeds from the sales will be contributed directly to Sophie’s Neighborhood, a nonprofit formed by Chef Hosea Rosenberg of Blackbelly, for pediatric rare disease research.
The multi-course sit-down dinner that follows, prepared by Chefs Melissa Harrison Hosea Rosenberg and Jon-Claude Stevens of Snow Bowl, will feature Yampa Valley lamb and other local and seasonal ingredients. Connecting Colorado to the evening’s cuisine will create an evening of unparalleled richness, interest and conviviality.
Tastes You Can Trace: Local Ingredient Dinner
5:30 p.m.
Marabou Ranch
Known for their passion for food that is locally sourced, produced and prepared with integrity, Chefs William Dissen, Matt Vawter and Paul Reilly will ensure you’ll leave this dinner feeling nourished, body and soul. Chef Matt’s works to generate new life into the hospitality industry, working with Pro Start and Colorado Mountain College culinary students in his restaurants. Chef William was named one of “40 Chefs under 40” and “Green Chef of the Year” for his innovative approach to sustainable cuisine. Believing “there is no cuisine without gardens and farmers,” both Chef Reilly and Chef Dissen were members of the nationally acclaimed James Beard Foundation’s Chef Boot Camp.
Fire & Favor: Cuisine from Baja Mexico
6 p.m.
Alpine Mountain Ranch & Club
Chef Alex Seidel is returning with more friends from the Baja, the place he considers his home away from home, with a plethora of flavors, stories and laughs. Danny Sanchez from the popular Barracudas off Cerritos Beach will be mixing cocktails while Chefs Alex, Alberto, Poncho, Arturo, Collin, Jose, and Justin prepare a fire centric meal – this won’t be your usual sit down wine dinner – be prepared for a moveable feast of stations and opportunities to talk with the chefs all while singer song-writer Arum Rae performs songs from her soon to be released album co-written and produced by Wesley Schultz of the Lumineers against this stunning backdrop.
Exquisite Flavor: Huneeus Wine Dinner
7 p.m.
Truffle Pig
Kismet: When notable wines like Quintessa, Flowers and Faust are paired with the creative cuisine of Truffle Pig’s Chef Schuyler Houfek and four-time semi-finalist for James Beard “Best Chef in America” Clay Conley. This is one meal that’s destined to be a festival favorite.
Saturday, October 1
Basics on Bubbles
10-11:30 a.m.
Zandee Gallery
Go far beyond just champagne. Sparkling wine differs in flavors, textures and sweetness levels based on the part of the world your tasting from. Join Roland Herrmann, Certified Sommelier and US Importer for the basics in comparing and discerning sparkling wines by the techniques and regions they are made.
Margaritas 101
11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Truffle Pig
Truffle Pig’s Mark Stanford–one of our favorite mixologists–makes sublime margaritas. He’ll show you all the tricks of the tequila-enhancing trade and let you decide whether you like them salt- or sweet-rimmed, shaken or blended, traditional or taken in a new direction.
Decadent Pairings: Cheese, Chocolate, Spirit & Wine
12-1:30 p.m.
Standard Gallery
Should a pairing only be two? Why limit yourself when you can choose from cheese, chocolate, spirits and wine? So many enticing choices and new combinations to choose from, all in one 90-minute seminar. Heaven…
A Coastal Lunch: Flavors of France
12-2 p.m.
Marabou Club at Torian Plum
Saturday’s lunch features a tour of French wine country. Dive deep in to the notes and flavors of the region region and learn how its history has defined wine making and cuisine far beyond its borders. Guests will leave not only knowing how to taste the wines, but how the pairing of certain foods can change the taste of the wine for the better. This tapas style lunch will feature perfected curated foods with wines.
Prohibition-Era Inspired Cocktails
1:30-2:30 p.m.
Truffle Pig
Just say no–and the object of your desire becomes all that much sexier. Such is the mystique of prohibition cocktails. Our suggestion: sign on now to sip, savor and scintillate as you learn the history of these iconic concoctions.
Grand Tasting & Demonstration Tent
2-6 p.m.
Torian Plum, Base of the Mountain
Taste your way through 70 wines and dozens of spirits in the spectacular mountainside setting, Torian Plum. Connect with the chefs participating in the collaboration dinner and engage in one of our curated demonstrations in the demo tent.
Sunday, October 2
A Sweet Conclusion: Vinyl Brunch
11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Yampa Street
The only way to toast a truly-memorable weekend is gathering around the table one last time. Enjoy mimosas, Bloody Marys and other Sunday libations including cocktail demonstrations from Mark Stanford. While our DJs let the vinyl spin, fill your plate with an eclectic spread from Texas BBQ to Whiskey French Toast.
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