Denver’s most ample annual food and wine event took place this past weekend for the thirteenth time across downtown with events like “Dinner Under the Stars”, cocktail competitions, culinary seminars and a “Grand Tasting”. This six-day event is the Denver Food + Wine Festival which invites the public to join the region’s culinary leaders – award winning chefs, mixologists and wine professionals in exploring and celebrating Colorado’s food and beverage scene.

To kick off the weekend, mixologists filled the McNichols Civic Center from top to bottom for the Shakedown Event. Which ever your preference of cocktail, you could find something right up your alley. Each and every cocktail had it’s own unique spin and was bursting with flavors - some with more traditional flavors and some more eclectic. The favorite cocktail of the night from the Ultra team was by Alex Duniluk from Ste. Ellie called, Three Corners. It started with a smooth peach flavor and ended with a smoky cheddar, a very intriguing combination that blew all of our minds. To make the night even better, there were plenty of tasty bites, cute pop up shops, and a band that had everyone on the dance floor!

The main event of DF+WF weekend is Saturday’s Grand Tasting where over 40 top restaurants provide the food and Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits provide over 700 wines and spirits to sample! Every type of wine is available to taste at the Grand Tasting; from high end reserves, rare wine regions, French Champagnes, to affordable favorites. DF+WFis the most comprehensive “wine tasting” in the state (aside from the prestigious annual Aspen Food + Wine Classic). If that weren’t enough to keep you entertained and buzzed all day, the event also features over 200 different spirits to try ranging from straight samples, to liqueurs, cocktails, and a full Stella Artois Café.

For the true oenophiles, Denver Food and Wine created a Tasting App to help one navigate and take notes on all the fine wines. There are also QR Codes placed next to each wine and spirit for guests to learn more and take screenshots for later, and of course the educated reps are there ready to tell you all about their products too.

The restaurants the other big component of the festival and provide guests a taste of Denver’s best local and regional flavors. This year’s favorite bites included The Fort’s chimichurri steak and mashed potatoes, the Art Hotel’s pork belly with quinoa, Departure’s Ahi tuna, and the Noshery’s sweet treats. DF+WF’s eventsalso include bites from local, emerging talent in the form of culinary high school students who are part of the Colorado ProStart Program. It is a two-year foodservice and hospitality management, culinary arts, and business entrepreneurship curriculum offered to high school juniors and seniors in Colorado.

Aside from all the food and wine consumption, be sure to take a break at the Culinary Stage where celebrity chefs host informative seminars and demonstrations every hour. This year’s presenters are Chef Mike Garaghty, Executive Chef of Wüsthof-Trident of America, Inc. presiding and appearing in WÜSTHOF- sponsored television segments, retail events, cooking videos, social media initiatives, trade shows, consumer food festivals, etc. Chef Brother Luck best known as last year’s Top Chef participant and from winning his episode on "Beat Bobby Flay”. Third is Executive Chef Craig Dixon of Main Shack and locally at Bar Dough.

Proceeds from the event always benefit various charities and this year’s recipients are Kroenke Sports Charities, Denver Post Community Foundation and Colorado Restaurant Foundation as chosen by Southern Glazer’s because, “… they are an integral part of our community and reflect our core values while supporting the people that live, work and enjoy our Colorado lifestyle.”

DF+WF events are truly bubbling over with booze and you will find yourself in bed early after the Grand Tasting. If you’re up for it, the final event is Sunday’s Rise + Dine the next morning which will surely finish your booze-infused weekend off right!

https://denverfoodandwine.com/

Words by Tiffany Candelaria Photos directly below of Shakedown by Samantha Bliss

Grand Tasting photos at bottom by Josh Stephens

Denver Food + Wine Festival (DF+WF) returns next week for its thirteenth consecutive year September 5-10! This event has gradually expanded from one attracting epicureans and oenophiles into a multi-day extravaganza attracting all types of foodies and wine and spirit drinkers. The Grand Tasting event not only has a huge selection of wines and eats, but also has entertainment, themed lounge areas,cocktails, sake, even beer, I hear. It is a really fun event and is offers the largest, most diverse selection of wine than any other festival or tasting in the Denver area. In addition the the Grand Tasting, there are various other DF+WF events that week to explore with varying price points.

To kick the week off the Dinner Under the Stars event, Sept. 6, celebrates the best that Denver’s culinary and beverage scene has to offer with a unique alfresco pairing dinners on the Coohills pedestrian bridge. This curated, six-course meal features a wine pairing with each course, hand-selected by Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits’ Master Sommeliers. Each course is prepared by a lauded Denver chef, representing some of the hottest restaurants in the Mile High City. The menu can be found on the website.

On Thursday 7, local celebrity bartenders from the Colorado Bartenders Guild will compete for Denver’s “best cocktail” at the ShakeDown. Guests are invited to mingle from 6:30-9:30 while trying as many food bites and cocktails as possible and voting for their favorites of each! Live music from a special acoustic Dragondeer set, featuring members of Dragondeer, will accompany the evening’s festivities. This was a boozy blast last year, but come prepared to drink or you may miss out on the best cocktail!

On Friday 8, join Riedel and the DF+WF for an educational and entertaining program that will change how each guest enjoys wine. In a unique wine glass tasting, Riedel ambassador Doug Reed will demonstrate the relationship between the shape of a glass and the taster’s perception and enjoyment of various varietals. After the seminar, guests can take home a four-glass Riedel kit, valued at $120, containing one glass for each varietal explored in the seminar.

DF+WF’s Grand Tasting takes place outdoors on Saturday 9 and unites the region’s culinary leaders, award winning chefs, mixologists and wine professionals, for a day of exploring and celebrating Colorado’s food and beverage traditions. The all-inclusive layout allows guests to explore creations from more than 40 top restaurants, and more than 700 different pours from wine and spirit professionals. In addition, the 5280 Home VIP Lounge, will pair specialty wines selected by Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits Master Sommeliers with 12 upscale restaurants for an exclusive experience. Celebrity, award-winning chefs will offer demonstrations on the Wolf Specialty Appliance Culinary Stage and guests can participate in a silent auction.

And to wrap up this incredible week of DF+WF is a fun brunch festival featuring what will be the world’s largest Bloody Mary bar, with over 65 toppings! Rise + Dine will also feature delicious breakfast bites, bottomless mimosas, and encourage guests to wear their pajamas if they’d like!

http://www.denverfoodandwine.com/