The inaugural Crested Butte Land Trust Wine & Food Festival promises to showcase hundreds of different wines and amazing cuisine through a variety of events from wine seminars and chefs’ events to a grand tasting in Crested Butte, Colo., on July 25 – 27, 2008. A full schedule and event information is available at CrestedButteWine.com and there's lots more information after the jump.The festival is produced by Colorado Mountain Events, LLC. Its exclusive beneficiary is the Crested Butte Land Trust, whose mission is to protect open space and wildlife habitat, preserve the valley’s ranching heritage, and provide access via trails.
“Crested Butte is Colorado’s best mountain town with unrivaled views and some of the most spectacular scenery in the West,” explains Jeff Hermanson, president of the Crested Butte Land Trust and part-time Crested Butte resident. “I cannot imagine a better location to host a series of food and wine events; it is the perfect way to reintroduce visitors to this magical place.”
The events include a series of 50-minute wine seminars where wine novices and aficionados alike can learn the nuances of wine during a classroom-style session. These seminars will be held all three days of the festival and are sold a la carte. Topics include sake for wine lovers, wine 101, wine and food pairing, bourbon tasting, Australian wines, beautiful Bordeaux, rose renaissance, Italian favorites, wine and chocolate, great reds of Spain, champagne and more. The cost is $30 per seminar, and participants must be at least age 21.
The chefs’ events consist of three dinners and one brunch where two chefs—one from Denver and one from Crested Butte—team up to create multi-course meals with wine pairings in private homes in the Crested Butte area. Participants must be at least age 21.
Friday, July 25: Chef Andrea Frizzi of Il Posto (Denver) and Chef Tim Egelhoff of Timberline (Crested Butte), dinner limited to 10, cost is $500 per person
Friday, July 25: Chef Elise Wiggins of Panzano (Denver) and Leo Novak of Rustica and Fete Catering (Crested Butte), dinner limited to 10, cost is $500 per person
Saturday, July 26: Chef Richard Sandoval of Tamayo, Zengo and La Sandia (Denver) and Chef Mike Marchitelli of Marchitelli’s Gourmet Noodle (Crested Butte), dinner limited to 10, cost is $500 per person
Sunday, July 27: Chef Tyler Wiard of Elway’s (Denver) and Chef Jason Vernon of Soupcon (Crested Butte), brunch is limited to 20, cost is $250 per person
For the signature event, the grand tasting will feature more than 250 varietals from around the world for guests to enjoy. On Saturday, July 26, from 4 to 7 p.m., the grand tasting will be held at the base of the Crested Butte ski area, adjacent to the Silver Queen lift. Tickets are $65 in advance and $80 day of event (21 years of age and older only), and $15 for children 12 and under. Tickets may be purchased online at http://www.crestedbuttewine.com/grand_tasting.htm or in person at the Crested Butte Land Trust office (308 Third Avenue, Crested Butte) or Sip Fine Wine & Spirits (1920 Market Street, Denver) beginning June 3, 2008. Questions should be directed to 303.809.0404.
The festival has partnered with Crested Butte Mountain Resort to provide room and ticket packages. Room rates start at $159 per night. Guests may go online to http://crestedbuttewine.com/lodging.htm or call 888.280.5724 to reserve their package.
For working members of the media, there is a discounted lodging rate and media credentials. These can be obtained by contacting Festival Director Margaret Ebeling at margaret@larimersquare.com.
About Crested Butte Land Trust
Crested Butte Land Trust (CBLT) strives to keep the Gunnison Valley unique, as too many of Colorado’s ski area valleys have lost their ranches, vistas and wildlife habitat. CBLT believes open space has the unique ability to benefit everyone and provides an economic value for the community that is far reaching and long lasting. The more than 4,000 acres CBLT has preserved protect crucial wetlands, wildlife habitats, unrivaled views, recreational opportunities and the valley’s ranching heritage. To see the organization’s accomplishments, go to http://www.crestedbuttewine.com/cblt.htm or www.cblandtrust.org.
About Colorado Mountain Events, LLC
Colorado Mountain Events, LLC is a Denver-based event production company whose goal is to create a premier summer event focused around wine and food in Crested Butte. The festival has a series of objectives:
§ Creating a signature food and wine event to entice the local community to attend the series of events, create a local sense of pride and provide positive economic impact.
§ Raising awareness of Crested Butte as a distinctive Colorado tourism destination.
§ Raising funds for and marketing the works of the Crested Butte Land Trust.
§ Enhancing business for current food and beverage operators in Crested Butte and establishing the town as a formidable location for new businesses.
Visitor Information & Personalized Vacation Packages
To find out more about the area’s summer calendar of events or to book personalized vacation packages, visit www.GunnisonCrestedButte.com. During the summer, air access to the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport is provided by United Airlines.
About Gunnison-Crested Butte, Colorado
Gunnison-Crested Butte is nestled among almost two million acres of pristine wilderness in southwest Colorado. Winter sports enthusiasts know the area for its world-class alpine skiing and snowboarding at Crested Butte Mountain Resort, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and ice fishing. Gunnison-Crested Butte is also a haven for outdoor summer activities. In the warmer months, visitors can choose from recreational activities such as hiking, climbing, mountain biking, boating, whitewater rafting, kayaking, fly-fishing, camping and horseback riding. Year-round visitors enjoy distinctive restaurants, unique shops and stimulating cultural opportunities, and have a wide range of lodging options — from rustic inns to guest cabins and bed-and-breakfasts to full-service resort hotels.
Recognized as the “Official Wildflower Capital of Colorado” by the Colorado Legislature and one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s “Dozen Distinctive Destinations” in 2008, Crested Butte is the site of rich mining, ranching and skiing heritage and home to the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame and Crested Butte Academy, a private college preparatory boarding and day school with special emphasis on world-class alpine, snowboarding and high altitude distance running programs. Gunnison, a real western town, is home to the beautiful, high-country campus of Western State College, a four-year institution offering 22 majors in the liberal arts and sciences and professional fields, and the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport. Both Crested Butte and Gunnison have thriving historic central business districts packed with shopping and dining opportunities.
In Gunnison County, visitors will find the Curecanti National Recreation Area, where dinosaur fossils were recently discovered; the Blue Mesa Reservoir, Colorado's largest body of water and home to the largest Kokanee salmon fishery in the United States; and The Black Canyon of the Gunnison, one of our country's newest national parks. Gunnison County includes the quaint and historic towns of Pitkin, Gothic, Tin Cup, Marble, Powderhorn, Almont and Crystal, plus the better-known communities of Gunnison, Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte.
