The world of wine is more open and inviting than ever. The storm of inter est that followed in the wake of the 2004 film Sideways has relaxed into a solid, enthusiastic groove. The stuffiness of yes teryear has been dispelled with a good dose of lightheartedness. Some wineries have even gone the way of their brewery brethren with sassy monikers and label art a la Michael David Winery's Seven Deadly Zins 2006. InPLAY Events has seen the possibilities this zeitgeist carries and has turned it into a party. The event creation and production company has been hosting wine festivals around the country for the last six years. In a way, they are quite like a matchmaker: They bring wineries, importers and distrib utors together with wine lovers and poten tial connoisseurs and watch the magic hap pen. This Friday and Saturday they are bringing their time-tested recipe for a fine tuned wine festival to the manicured grounds of the Milwaukee Art Museum.
A "full-tasting" wine ticket is $20 if purchased by Aug. 21, or $30 cash at the festival's entrance. If you're a Milwaukee Art Museum member, you'll be reward ed with a discount. The ticket includes a wine glass, a festival program listing the 250 wines available for sampling at the festival, a book of 10 tasting tickets (each good for a one ounce wine pour) and a coupon for 15-percent off the purchase of the festival wines available at Sendik's Food Markets. At the festival, visitors can purchase booklets of 10 tasting tickets for $5. Forty-one representatives from various wine producers will be on hand, sharing their passion for wine and intro ducing festival-goers to new and differ ent varieties.
The Milwaukee Wine Festival has a tick et specifically for those who selflessly chauffer the drinkers home. The designated driver ticket is $10 in advance or at the door, and includes two non-alcoholic drinks and souvenir wine glass upon departure. The Festival will have activities such as food and wine seminars, cooking demonstra tions, and live music that make the festival worthwhile even for those that haven't been bitten by the wine bug. Sanford D'Amato, renowned chef and owner of Sanford, Harlequin Bakery and Coquette Café, will conduct cooking demonstrations both days of the festival. As one of D'Amato's regular cooking classes held at Coquette Café costs upwards of $50, the opportunity to witness his culinary prowess at the wine festival is fortunate.
Other talented gourmet chefs offering cooking demonstrations include Jason Gorman, executive chef of Dream Dance and Jeff Beale, his counterpart at The Capital Grille. Marc Goodman, wine and spirits director for Sendik's Food Markets, will also host a comprehensive wine sem inar each day of the festival.
Food will also be available for purchase from restaurants like Café Calatrava, The Capitol Grille, Kil@wat, The Knick, Palermo's Pizza, Milwaukee Chop House, and Mason Street Grill. The Milwaukee Wine Festival soundtrack will be pro vided by The New Invaders, a '60s flashback band from Chicago, as well as sophisticated jazz vocalist Erin Bode and the Michael Heaton Band, a singer/songwriter with roots in country and rock. The Milwaukee Wine Festival is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon and evening with friends. In fact, the festi val encourages it. For groups of 15 people or more, tickets are available in advance for $17.50. Together you can taste and critique wines from all over the world, try varieties you have never heard of and discover new favorites.
Friday, Aug. 22: 4 to 10 p.m. Ticket sales end at 8:30 p.m.; alcohol sampling and sales end at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23: 2 to 9 p.m. Ticket sales end at 7:30 p.m.; alcohol sampling and sales end at 8:30 p.m.
