Over 150 wines from nearly 50 Pacific Northwest wineries will be served at the third annual Bellingham Northwest Wine Festival on August 4, 2018. This year’s Festival returns to the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel Ballroom in Bellingham and is produced by the Whatcom Beer and Wine Foundation. The Festival is unique in that it features wines from the only judged wine competition between Seattle and Vancouver, BC. “We’re very excited with the number of participating wineries,” said Foundation President, Dan Radil. “We think local wine drinkers are going to be extremely pleased with both the quality and increased selection of wines at this year’s Festival.” In addition to wine tasting, attendees will be treated to a number of passed appetizers as well as a variety of small bites from eight area restaurants including 9Restaurant, Lovitt Restaurant, Cosmos Bistro, The Mill, Packers Kitchen at Semiahmoo, Hundred North, Culture Café and McKay’s Taphouse and Pizzeria. Other highlights of the Festival will include the presentation of medals for gold and double gold wines from the earlier judged competition along with the Best in Show trophy for the top-rated wine. All of the medal-winning wines will be available for tasting during the event, and attendees can also purchase wines to take home with them at an on-site wine store. Tickets are available at two prices levels: $50 general admission tickets provide three hours of tasting in the Grand Ballroom from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m., with access to all wineries, passed appetizers and food samples, and a souvenir wine glass; $75 VIP tickets allow for an extra hour of tasting in the Ballroom beginning at 6:00 p.m. as well as exclusive access to the comfortably furnished VIP lounge in the Terrace Room from 6:45 to 10:00 p.m. and featuring appetizers and Hundred North and The Mill restaurants and hourly rotating wine pours not available in the Ballroom. “This is going to be a great experience for anyone attending because it offers such an incredible opportunity to taste so many different regional and local food and wine samples in one venue,” notes Radil. “But we also want to emphasize that the event serves as a fund-raising opportunity that will benefit a number of area non-profits.” Beneficiary organizations for this year’s Festival are Lydia Place, Our TreeHouse, Make.Shift, and Growing Alliances. For a complete list of wines and participating wineries, as well as ticket purchase information visit BellinghamNorthwestWineFestival.com.
