Grape and Gourmet Becoming a Bellingham Wine Festival Tradition

Not all food and wine festivals are created equal.

Some take place in oversold, too-small venues where you’re cramped, claustrophobic and constantly having to elbow your way through a line just to get a meager one-ounce pour of wine.

Others only provide a token platter or two of bread and cheeses to nosh on in-between tastes. Or worse yet, they offer additional food choices that you have to pay for over-and-above the price of the admission ticket.

Still others give you everything you want in a festival, but they’re located outside the range of a reasonable return drive home, requiring additional costs for gas and overnight accommodations.

That’s why the Bellingham Grape and Gourmet may be the perfect event for local foodies and wineophiles. It covers all the potential pratfalls of many other food and wine festivals and offers additional perks to help assure you have a terrific experience.

This year’s event will take place on Sunday, November 2. Now in its 11th year, the festival is organized by Bellingham Bay Rotary Club, with all proceeds going to a number of community non-profit organizations that are supported by Rotary.

The festival moved to the Silver Reef Event Center in 2013 and returns there for Sunday’s festivities. Not only does this venue provide plenty of room for attendees in which to maneuver, it also gives the event the feel of an upgrade on the “sophistication/luxury scale” compared to years past.

Over 30 regional wineries along with a number of local restaurants are scheduled to be at the festival. With plenty of variety to be had, there’s little chance you’ll leave feeling shortchanged on the number of food and wine choices available.

A VIP pass costs $125.00 and allows you early admission at 5:00 pm, while a $75.00 ticket gets you in the door and 6:30 pm. The ticket price includes all food and wine served at the event, which concludes at 8:30 pm.

To assist with your transportation needs, a complimentary shuttle bus will begin pickups at The Best Western Plus Lakeway Inn at 4:30 pm and 6:00 pm for transport to the event. Pickups will also be made at The Hampton Inn at 4:45 and 6:15 pm.

Shuttle bus returns will be made throughout the night as needed, with a final departure from the Silver Reef scheduled for 9:00 pm. For those providing their own transportation, consider lingering for some post-festival activities such as gaming or perhaps a visit to the casino’s recently opened cigar lounge.

According to the organization’s Facebook page, tickets can be purchased by calling Rotary member Christine Palmerton at (360) 815-2688. They can also be purchased online at silverreefcasino.com.

Comments are closed.