WineInk: Snowmass Wine Festival time to shine

It’s the locals’ wine festival, and it comes at the best time of the year.

In two weeks (I’m giving you a little time to get tickets), the 22^nd Snowmass Wine Festival will pour the good stuff and mark the beginning of the fall season here in the Roaring Fork Valley. For just over two decades, this event has celebrated the harvest season, provided a get together for familiar faces, and raised a ton of money for good causes. It is the perfect combination for those who love wine, a good time, and charitable giving.

The 2024 Snowmass Wine Festival begins on Friday night, Sept. 13, with a four-course dinner at the Viceroy Hotel, which will feature the wines of Portugal. Then, Saturday afternoon the 14^th, the traditional wine tasting begins at 1:30 p.m. in the Snowmass Town Park and winds down at 5 p.m. Plenty of time to see old friends, taste some fine wine, and enjoy a day in the Sowmass sunshine. Tasters will have the opportunity to select from over 300 wines, a plethora of craft spirits, and tasty food in the tasting tents set up throughout the Park.

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The Snowmass Wine Festival is more than just great wines; it is also a worthy way to connect and give back to the community. The festival is a significant fundraiser for the Snowmass Rotary Club, which has been hosting the event for more than two decades and each year makes donations from the proceeds to nonprofit organizations across the Roaring Fork Valley and local student scholarships. When you buy tickets for the Snowmass Wine Festival, 100% of every dollar benefits local nonprofit organizations across the Roaring Fork Valley and charitable organizations worldwide. It is truly a game changer in many lives.

While the Snowmass Rotary Club takes care of the charitable donations, the wines are organized by Barbara Bakios-Wickes, founder of Snowmass Liquor & Gifts in the Snowmass Center. Since the earliest days of the festival, she has used her considerable connections in the wine world and vast knowledge of wine to produce a world-class wine event in her backyard.

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“What makes this festival so special is that it is not a business enterprise but is truly a labor of love that has been built with relationships,” she said. “The local lodges often give complimentary rooms to vintners and winemakers and all the wines, those for the tasting the dinner, and the auction, are donated.”

This year will be no different as the 37 wine tables at the Grand Tasting will include donated wines from Matt and Sara Licklider’s LIOCO label, the Hess Collection, and Huneeus Vintners amongst other California wineries. Old Snowmass local and Colorado winemaker Mark Harvey will be pouring his Open Range wines, which have been generating terrific reviews and ratings. Local Aspen Wine Guy Rob Leventhal will once again be bringing a selection of wines from small producers including the gems from B.True made by Brian Graham; the Sta. Rita Hills wines from Alma Rosa produced by Serbian winemaker Samra Morris; and the Macauley Vineyard outstanding cabernet sauvignons that are the handiwork of noted Napa winemaker Kirk Venge. Justin Vineyards, the Paso Robles estate owned by Aspen’s Stewart and Lynda Resnick, will also be represented. And be sure to stop and taste the wines from the Jackson Family Wines Spire Collection.  

There will also be international selections provided by French wine importer Flamingo Wines, Italian wines from Piatelli Vineyards, and Israeli wines brought by Royal Wines along with a host of others.

In addition, there are eight tables with spirits for tasting. Those with local roots include Marble Distilling, Woody Creek Distillery, and Stranahan’s Whiskey. And the newly-arrived Westbound and Down Brewery will be pouring the first ever beer in the tasting tents. Sundance Liquor & Gifts will have a table at the festival promoting their barrel picks of Stranahan’s Whiskey and Dobel Tequila. Attendees can stop by and discuss the wines they love. Special case orders with an extra discount can be placed during the festival or at Sundance within two weeks of the event.

Each year, the opening dinner sells out as it highlights wines from a different wine region. This year Portugal, one of the hottest wine nations on earth, both literally and figuratively, will be the focus. From a fresh Vinho Verde (Muralhas de Moncao Vinho Verde) to a powerful fortified port (Symington Estates 10 Year Dow Tawny Port), diners will get a grand overview of this rising star wine nation as representatives from the wineries and importers introduce the wines.

And that’s not the only food option as more than 25 local restaurants will be representing on Saturday at the Grand Tasting ranging from Ajax Tavern to Venga Venga. It is a feast.

The Snowmass Wine Festival is a local treasure and an event not to be missed.