Unless you've been sealed inside a French-oak barrel on the other side of the globe for the past 18 years, you might be aware that the Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta gets under way this time of year. About the same time the Aspen leaves near the Santa Fe Ski Basin begin turning those beautiful hues of yellow and orange — or in my case, when a slight chill in the mornings and evenings facilitates a marked switch from the consumption of crisp, effervescent white wines to spicy, complex reds — local oenophiles, chefs and gastronomes come out of the woodwork to celebrate their passions together.
The Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta (today through Sept. 27), which is now in its 19th year, has changed quite a bit since it debuted as a small, one-day grand tasting event in the parking lot of Sanbusco Center in 1991. Back then, the roster of participants for the solitary shindig included just 20 wineries and 20 restaurants. My, how things have changed! This year, more than 100 wineries, as well as more than 60 Santa Fe restaurants, are participating. Add to that a veritable feast of special pairing dinners and luncheons, cooking demonstrations, a golf classic, a reserve tasting and guest-chef tours, and it's easy to see why the event now stretches over a five-day period.
The mad scramble for tickets to the Grand Tasting has only become madder over the past 5 years; a few months ago, Craigslist and the classifieds section of
The New Mexican (and recent Facebook activity) revealed a bustling secondary market for buyers and sellers looking for ticket opportunities to what many consider the fiesta's main event. So no, there are no tickets left to the grand tasting, but there are plenty of other ways to get your grub n' grape on over the next few days. Here are just a few (as of press time, these events still had a few slots open; for tickets, event schedule and information, visit santafewineandchile.org):
Guest-chef demonstration and tasting with Martín Rios: The chef cooks up some smoked eggplant/tomato soup with Mexican-style prawns and a Dungeness-crab crepe in this Fiesta demo. Guests also can taste an Archery Summit Pinot Noir and a Pine Ridge Chardonnay (11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. today, Santa Fe School of Cooking, $75 per person).
Guest-chef luncheon and wine tasting with Christophe Hille and Shelley Lindgren: The original chef and co-owner of San Francisco restaurant A16 joins wine director/owner Lindgren for a culinary journey through Italy's Campania region with wines from Fuedi di San Gregorio. A cooking demonstration focused on dishes from the gateway to southern Italy at the Santa Fe School of Cooking is followed by a four-course lunch at Coyote Café. (10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday, $175).
Ridge, Rosenblum and Ravenswood: Master sommeliers and all-around fun and intelligent chaps Joe Spellman and Tim Gaiser present a tasting of three single-vineyard Zinfandels from Ravenswood, Ridge and Rosenblum wineries. The tasting is in memory of Donn Riesen, former president and sales director of Ridge Vineyards, who passed away earlier this year. (12:30-1:30 p.m. Friday, La Fonda hotel, $65).
I'd be remiss if I didn't recommend a handful of wine dinners, but there are so many choices this year; it's too hard to decide! To find out more about the 19th Annual Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta, visit the Web site at www.santafewineandchile.org or call 438-8060. Whatever you do this week for Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta, please be safe and responsible while doing it.
Are you running with a fork, too? Send tips on what's happening in the local food and restaurant scenes to Rob DeWalt at rdewalt@sfnewmexican.com.
