The Sun Winefest at Mohegan Sun '12



Chef Bobby Flay

It's been a few years since I was a guest at a wine festival.  The Divas Uncorked Wine and Food Festival on Martha's Vineyard ran for five years and it was a great experience.  All the winemakers and chefs I had a chance to meet and learn from definitely added to my level of wine knowledge so going to the Mohegan Sun Winefest felt really different.  I found myself being picky about what wines I tried, the foods I nibbled and when it got too crowded I was ready to go.  I was lucky to have a VIP pass to enter the Grand Tasting an hour early which allowed me to hunt down my friend celebrity Chef Todd English to say hi from the Divas and shake hands with Chef Bobby Flay who I adore!  OK this may sound a little snobby but who wants to spend an afternoon drinking wine you know is mediocre.  So here's how I spent my two hours at the festival and boy it was worth it...

TIP

To enjoy attending public wine events have a plan.  Review the program to identify wine booths that you have not experienced before.  Make a selection and browse it by grape type, country or winery but choose something.  Do not swallow every sip.  Especially if it doesn't taste good when it first hits your palette.  It's OK to swirl, swish and spit.  I only savor and swallow the good stuff!

TREAT

I love California and Chilean wines.  So I focused my energy there.  My favorites of the day were all red this time.  Lately I have been stuck on drinking complex whites but on this day the reds were tasting scrumptious.  My favorite California wines were from Rombauer of Napa Valley.  I love their Cabernet Sauvignon and old vine Zinfandel.  Both are full of sweet ripe fruit and so smooth that I wanted the entire bottle.  The Chilean wine was a smooth, full bodied Carmenere from Tamaya, a small winery located north of Santiago.  If you have not tried Carmenere, this grape grows so beautifully in Chile because of  the climate especially the sun and soil.  It is dark dark purple with a hint of chocolate and lots of robust fruit forward ripeness.  It is one of my favorites.