Surviving the Steamboat Wine Festival: From Tasting Pointers to Navigating a Festival.

The Steamboat Wine Festival is quickly approaching and on August 5-8, 2010 there will be thousands of people excited to taste hundreds of different kinds of wine. However not all of us are sommeliers or have the alcohol tolerance so to ensure you get the most out of the wine festival here are some tips of how to navigate a wine festival and how to get the most out of your tastings.

Wine has forever (since 6000 BC) tantalized our taste buds, provided intoxicating effects, and has even been a main drink replacing unsafe water. Wine is made from all different grape varieties that grow around the world and wine itself has quite the volumes of information about the subject.

Tasting Wine:
Wine tasting is the sensory examination of the wine- and its lots of fun! Because wine is made up of organic chemical compounds found in fruit (grapes) there will be many similar flavors found in fruits, vegetable and spices.

Step 1: Look at the Wine- what color is it…is it bright pinky red or is it more of a brick red? Also notice the edges of the wine as it sits in the glass- is it clear or is it still colorful?

Step 2: Swirl the Wine in your glass. This allows more oxygen to get to the wine and lets the lovely smell of the wine escape from the glass- let the wine open up.

Step 3: After swirling notice the wine’s viscosity. This is how slowly the streaks of wine run down the glass. More viscous wines are said to have "legs," and are likely to be more alcoholic. Outside of looking pretty, this has no relation to a wine's quality but may indicate a more full bodied wine.

Step 4: Take a sip of the Wine- but don’t swallow quite yet. Let the wine swirl around in your mouth hitting the different areas of taste buds. Purse your lips and let a little air in to your mouth- this allows your palette to pick up on some of the wine’s aromas. (I would suggest trying this step at home if you have never tried it before…you don’t want wine stains)

Step 5: Note the taste of the wine (this is my favorite part)


Step 6: Take notes if you like that wine- flavors, acidity, etc.
See a full article on wine tasting


Now you can imagine that after tasting hundreds of wine it might not be a pretty sight, so here are some tips that will keep you on your feet during the wine festival and feeling great the next day.

1. Snack! Never have an empty stomach. Indulge in the fabulous appetizers the Steamboat Festival will have. Take time to enjoy this food as well as the wine and your body will absorb less alcohol as a result.

2. Water, Water, and Water: Drink as much water as wine and you’ll be doing great. Dehydration is definitely an enemy at any wine festival so be conscious of your water wine ratio.

3. Don’t be afraid to spit. You don’t have to spit every sip but no one will flinch if you spit out your taste- they are suppose to be just that- tastings.

If you manage to follow those three easy steps you will have an extra fabulous time at the Steamboat Wine Festival!

Do you have your tickets for the Steamboat Wine Festival? ResortQuest Steamboat is an official lodging partner and we are able to offer our guests discounted wine festival tickets. All of the premier rentals are just steps away from the festival and we host our own Free Wine tasting Thursday Aug. 5 from 4-6pm!