Food & Beverage Events in the High Country

Culinary and cocktail festivals in the mountains, March - April, 2018

I’m a planner, and I always encourage my readers to plan ahead, especially when it comes to certain events because it can save you money and a headache. Here are three events that are worth a little pre-planning.

Photo by Tyler Tate

Red, White & Snow is a culinary, wine and ski festival that brings vintners and chefs from around the country to Park City, Utah. From multiple vintner dinners and an on-mountain wine event to a gala dinner, this festival is about good food and wine for a good cause.

This is the premier fundraiser for The National Ability Center, an organization dedicated to empowering individuals of all abilities by building self-esteem, confidence and lifetime skills through sport, recreation and educational programs.

This year’s Wine on the Mountain has a retro theme and is a highlight of the event. Don your best vintage duds and enjoy wine, lunch and incredible views at this ticketed event.

Learn more about this luxury weekend in Park City by visiting RedWhiteandSnow.org.

Photo courtesy of Après Ski Cocktail Classic

Who wouldn’t want to spend four days in Aspen during ski season? The Après Ski Cocktail Classic invites you to taste craft cocktails, attend seminars, attend parties, enjoy popup bars, and much more.

This is not an event for teetotalers. Here, you choose your own drinking adventure by purchasing a variety of pass types, including a VIP Pass that will get you into all the best parties and seminars.

There are various tasting events throughout the weekend, but the Grand Tasting occurs twice. There’s also a Private Reserve Tasting Room for the true spirits connoisseur.  

Be sure to sign up for the Après Ski Pub Crawl that features all of Aspen’s best hot spots for cocktails. Better start hydrating now!

Get the lowdown and tickets for Après Ski Cocktail Classic at apresskicocktailclassic.com.

Photo by Heidi Kerr-Schlaefer

I’m quite familiar with Taste of Vail; it’s a knock-your-socks-off culinary experience, and oh yes, there’s a lot of good wine too. Any self-described foodie should attend Taste of Vail at least once.

So much happens during this five-day event that I can’t begin to write about it all, but I’m going to share my favorite signature events. As an aside, when we attended, my husband’s favorite event was a craft beer and food pairing ( it’s not always just about wine at Taste of Vail).

The lamb cook-off is a must-attend. Vail Valley’s finest chefs square off in a lamb battle where the winners are the attendees who get to taste all the gourmet lamb creations.

Another incredible event is the Mountain Top Tasting. Held at 10,350 feet above sea level, many people ski into this one, but festival-goers can also take the gondola up the mountain. The wine and food served at the Mountain Top Tasting were outstanding, and it’s not as crowded as the Grand Tasting. This is my favorite event at Taste of Vail.

For the entire schedule, visit TasteofVail.com.

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