Press Releases

Taste of Vail Celebrates 25th Anniversary with New Events, Wineries and Venues

CREATED: 2015-02-05 10:02 AM

Taste of Vail is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2015 with new enhanced events, new wineries and exciting venues such as Four Seasons Resort Vail. Rated among the top food and wine festivals in the United States by Forbes, Travel Channel and USA Today, Taste of Vail is held April 8-11, 2015.

Taste of Vail will offer a number of new and enhanced events in 2015 including the 11th Annual American Lamb Cookoff and Aprés Ski Tasting, which changed its name from the Colorado Lamb Cookoff to reflect the wide range of lamb products donated by the American Lamb Board, the title sponsor of the annual event. The American Lamb Cookoff is one of the most popular events at Taste of Vail as visitors line the streets of Vail Village sampling the best lamb dishes created by chefs of the Vail Valley, who compete for top honors in the annual Judges Choice and People's Choice categories. The American Lamb Cookoff and Aprés Ski Tasting takes place on Thursday, April 9.

On Friday, April 10, there will be a new event, a James Beard Dinner at Larkspur restaurant featuring a number of well-known Vail and Denver-based chefs. More details on the James Beard Dinner will be released in the coming weeks.

Taste of Vail also is shifting the venue for its popular closing night event, The Grand Tasting. The event now will be held at the Four Seasons Resort Vail in the heart of Vail Village.

"With our 25th anniversary, we wanted to make a few changes and shake things up a bit as we celebrate this major milestone," said Chris Chantler, chairman of the Taste of Vail board. "We are very excited about this new partnership with the Four Seasons and we believe it's going to be a great location to celebrate the closing night of our anniversary festival. We also are looking forward to partnering with Larkspur for the James Beard Dinner and visitors to the annual food and wine festival also will notice a number of new wineries showcased this year."

Taste of Vail already has nearly 50 wineries scheduled to showcase their varietals including a number of new vineyards that are making their debut at the annual spring festival. California's Fritz Underground Winery will make its first appearance at Taste of Vail. Built into the side of a picturesque hill atop the northernmost region of the famed Dry Creek Valley, the Fritz Winery operates with a modern sensibility for efficiency and awareness by utilizing the unique attributes of its subterranean design. Naturally cool temperatures, ideal for wine making and cellaring, are maintained without any use of expensive or carbon-heavy devices common to most modern wine production. Look for favorites such as their Pinot Noir and Late Harvest Zinfandel, among others, to be showcased at Taste of Vail.

Operating out of Saint Helena, Calif., Vineyard 29 has been causing a stir in the industry with its 29 Estate, Aida Estate and CRU wines. Each of Vineyard 29's wines is hand-crafted in small lots in its technologically sophisticated, gravity flow winery and caves in St. Helena.

Taste of Vail offers a variety of ticket options for the 2015 event including a Signature Event Pass and special seminar packs. The Signature Event Pass provides access to the Debut of 2014 Rosé, the 11th Annual American Lamb Cookoff & Après Ski Tasting, Mountain Top Picnic and Grand Tasting for $385. New Four and Six-Pack Seminar passes also are available for attendees to experience a wide range of entertaining and educational sessions. The Four-Pack is on sale for $150 and the Six-Pack is currently $185. These seminar packs are non-transferrable and guests will need to sign up for individual sessions once they are announced.

Individual event tickets also are on sale now with the 2nd Annual Debut of Rosé available for $50, the signature Mountain Top Picnic available for $135 and the Grand Tasting for $175.

Seminars for the 25th anniversary of the Taste of Vail will be announced in the coming weeks. For additional information on the event or to purchase tickets, please visit www.tasteofvail.com.