The Taste of Vail, one of the nation’s top food and wine festivals that features Vail Valley’s iconic backdrop, is celebrating its 30th anniversary April 6-9, 2022.
Returning in its full form for the first time since 2019 with daily signature events, new wine seminars and some of the best spring skiing in the country, this is one spring event not to miss.
Top winemakers from more than 50 top wineries in the northern hemisphere have been invited to pour their wines alongside food pairings from Vail’s top chefs. A daily signature Taste of Vail event will headline each day:
Debut of Rosé, Wednesday April 6th 3:00-6:00 pm: Experience just released 2021 Rosés for the first time and over 100 Rosé varietals. Rosé wine is the liquid component of the much-celebrated lifestyle of Mediterranean France. It is just recently enjoying similar recognition in the US. As a category, Rosé wines embrace an immense diversity of styles and flavors from Semi sweet to off-dry to bone-dry (very dry), and even sparkling Rosés.
*Niman Ranch Pork Challenge & Après Tasting, Thursday April 7th 3:00-6:00 pm: Brand new this year and presented by Quri Vodka, Taste of Vail has partnered with Niman Ranch to host this true Après Party. Vail Valley’s finest chefs will compete for the best dish using Niman Ranch products. In the theme of “Life Beyond Chardonnay, Cabernet, and Merlot” Taste of Vail’s participating wineries will be showcasing wines of a wide array of varietals that include Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, and Zinfandel.
Mountain Top Tasting, Friday, April 8th 12:00-2:30pm: Join Taste of Vail for the crème de la crème of outdoor tastings. Held at 10,350 feet above sea level, this event offers spectacular mountain vistas accompanied by gourmet food, beer, wine, and spirits. Snow or shine this is an event not to be missed.
2022 Grand Tasting: Saturday, April 9th 5:00-8:00 pm: As Vail’s premier wine and food tasting, this event features the best of Taste of Vail’s wineries and local culinary geniuses. The evening will include celebrating the 30th Anniversary.
Accompanying these events are seminars hosted by top experts in the wine industry. This year’s seminar lineup includes:
Niman Ranch Iberian Duroc Hog Butchering, Wednesday, April 6th, 11:30 am-12:30 pm: Join Niman Ranch as they show us sustainability at its best. Niman Ranch’s Master Butcher will walk guests through the steps of butchering and how to utilize the entire hog.
Chardonnay Reductive vs Oxidative, Thursday April 7th 1:30-2:30 pm: Jason Hunter (Lemon Rock Sommelier) and Jackson Holstein (Granville Wine Co) come together to have a comparative tasting of two chardonnay winemaking approaches, Reductive Vs Oxidative. Reductive winemaking is when a winemaker takes extra steps to limit the amount of oxygen a wine has exposure to. Oxidative wines are wines that have been deliberately exposed to oxygen during the winemaking process.
Napa Rocks Thursday April 7th 6:00-7:00 pm: Join Rebekah Wineburg from Quintessa Winery for an informative discussion on Napa Valley terroir and how it influences the varietals grown there, specifically Cabernet Sauvignon.
A Taste of Colorado’s Governor’s Cup Collection, Friday April 8th 3:00-4:00 pm: Did you know that Colorado has over 160 wineries and that Wine Enthusiast Magazine named Colorado a top wine destination in 2018? This seminar will allow you to learn about our state’s AVAs and taste the outstanding wines selected for the 2021 Governor’s Cup Collection, ranging from traditional grapes to innovative styles.
Sturia Caviar Seminar, Saturday April 9th 10:30-11:30 am: The variety and creativity of Sturia Caviar has won recognition from the world’s most celebrated chefs. Come experience how the delicious salty taste of Sturia Caviar, the leading French caviar producer, is beautifully enhanced by and perfectly paired with Canard Duchene Champagne.
Sonoma AVAs, Saturday April 9th 2:30-3:30 am: An American Viticultural Area is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States, providing an official appellation for the mutual benefit of wineries and consumers. If a wine is labeled with an AVA, at least 85% of the grapes that make up the wine must have been grown in the AVA, and the wine must be fully finished in the state where the AVA is located. This seminar will explore Sonoma’s six AVAs: Dry Creek Valley, Alexander Valley, Knights Valley, Chalk Hill, Russian River Valley, and Green Valley. See a full schedule here
