15th Annual Taste of Vail Slated for April 6-9, 2005

Culinary and wine lovers - mark your calendars for the 15th Annual Taste of Vail, the nation’s premier wine and food festival, slated for April 6-9, 2005.

“The Chef’s Alpine Classic Ski Race will kick off the 2005 Taste of Vail, featuring chefs from the Vail Valley racing down Vail Mountain in their chef coat and chef toques,” said Susan Fritz, president of the Taste of Vail. “The Taste of Vail mountaintop gourmet picnic at 11,000 feet will once again be the signature event - a venue unmatched by any other festival in the U.S. What also sets the Taste of Vail apart is the more than 50 world-class wineries that come on a by-invitation-only basis and we insist that the winery owners or winemakers be here to personally pour their wines.”

The Vail Valley boasts more than 20 Wine Spectator award-winning restaurants - the most per capita of any city in Colorado. Thirty-five restaurants, 56 wineries from all over the world and more than 4,000 attendees and volunteers were involved in the Taste of Vail this past year.

Guests to the nation’s premier spring wine and food festival will also experience the relaxed elegance synonymous with Vail, from the fine art galleries and upscale shops to the European-style pedestrian village and international flavor of many languages spoken throughout town. Mother Nature provides the dramatic setting for the Taste of Vail, with incomparable views of the Vail Valley surrounded by the majestic Rocky Mountains set against Colorado’s glistening snow and cobalt-blue skies.

While the Taste of Vail is an event designed to showcase the Vail Valley lifestyle and mystique, it also serves a humanitarian purpose for the local community by raising money for Vail Valley charities. Since it began in 1990, the Taste of Vail has donated more than $240,000 to charitable programs in the Vail Valley.

During this four-day food and wine extravaganza, here are just a few activities attendees can expect:

• Special guest chef luncheon;
• A variety of seminars on everything from wine tasting to desserts and more;
• Chef’s Alpine Classic Ski Race;
• Bartender’s Margarita Mix-Off;
• Winemaker dinners throughout the Vail Valley;
• The popular mountaintop picnic, which is a spectacular outdoor feast at 11,000 feet, featuring breathtaking views of the Gore Range;
• The Grand Tasting, dance and silent auction, which is an unparalleled tasting and culinary spectacle featuring all participating restaurants, wineries and the Guest Chef;
• Wine tastings from more than 50 of the world’s most noted vintners.

A complete schedule of events will be announced in early 2005.

For more information or to purchase tickets, go to www.tasteofvail.com or call 1-888-311-5665 or 970-926-5665.