Oenophile might be a fancy word for those who appreciate wine, but you need not be fancy to enjoy Great Bend’s premiere wine tasting event; in fact, with craft beers and spirits to taste as well, you really don’t even need to be a wine lover to enjoy this tasting.
On Friday, April 29, 2016 from 6 to 10 p.m., Catholic Charities of Southwest Kansas, hosts the 15th Annual Charity Wine Tasting Event at the Great Bend Events Center, 3111 10th St, Great Bend KS, to raise funds for those in need. Guests will be treated to a Wine 101 session with wine expert, Roger Fowler from Standard Beverage Corporation at 6 pm. The tasting, which begins at 7 p.m., includes live entertainment by classical guitarist, Richard J Falcon Jr., delicious hors d’oeuvres and food/wine pairings prepared by Stone Ridge Country Club, and a live and silent auction led by Master of Ceremonies, Scott Donovan of Eagle Radio, and Auctioneer, T.R. Esfeld.
“The Wine 101 session will be a good basic introduction to wine,” said Fowler. “We’ll cover the growing, harvesting, fermentation and color of grapes, what causes wine to go bad, how to protect wines, how to taste wines, and how to cook with wines.” For those who want to know more, Fowler brings almost 30 years of experience in the wine tasting industry.
“I’m excited about our new location at the Great Bend Events Center,” said Event Coordinator, Rebecca Ford. “We sold out of tickets before the invitations even hit the mailboxes last year, so we knew we had to do something different. We are expecting about 400 guests this year from as far away as Dodge City, Salina and Hays.” A block of rooms is reserved at the Best Western Angus Inn for out-of-town guests who make their reservations by April 15.
The Wine Tasting will showcase a nice array of wines that cover all of the major categories, from sweet to dry and everything in between. Participants include Glazers, Rosewood Winery, Smoky Hill Winery, Standard Beverage, Western Beverage, Wheat State Distilling and Wyldewood Cellars. Professionals, including Adam Clary, an aged-whiskey specialist, will be on hand to answer questions.
Tickets for the 15th Annual Charity Wine Tasting Event are available in person at the Catholic Charities office at 2201 16th Street in Great Bend, by phone at 620-792-1393, or online at www.catholiccharitiesswks.org/wine-tasting-event/buy-tickets.
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Catholic Charities of Southwest Kansas, a member of Catholic Charities USA, has provided services for people in need since 1965. The mission of the agency is to honor human potential through service, advocacy and invitation, in the spirit of the Gospel, so that every person can experience hope and fulfillment. With offices in Dodge City, Garden City and Great Bend, the agency provides adoption services, pregnancy and teen mom support, healthy marriage and relationship classes, counseling for addiction and mental health; fatherhood, employment, and housing support; economic assistance, and disaster relief throughout southwest Kansas. Learn more at www.CatholicCharitiesSWKS.org.