Sampling delicious wines made for a perfect night at the 2015 Valparaiso Wine Festival. This is the 3rd year Valparaiso Events has brought this event to Central Park Plaza and they have had tremendous success, being sold out again this year.
The spotlight for this event was definitely on the wide range of wine available to sample. There were 13 different wine distributers including: Aveniu Brands, Calumet Breweries, Carroll Wine and Spirits, Cooper’s Hawk, Crossroad Vintners, Easley Winery, Glazer Distributing, Graybull Wines, Huber Winery, Indiana Wholesale Wines and Spirits, Monarch Beverage, Oliver Winery, Republic National Distributing Company, Running Vines Winery, Southern Wine and Spirits, Trail Inn/Triangle Liquors, World of Wines. That made for 80 different wines from local, regional, and national winemakers.
“If we can offer people a good, fun experience in downtown Valpo, that’s what we want to create. The more people we can involve in our community and our events, the bigger the success,“ Executive Director of Valparaiso Community Festivals & Events, Tina St. Aubin said.
Besides the variety of wine, there were also food vendors providing snacks that paired with the different wines. Old World Market of Valparaiso paired VIP samplers and a local Greek church also provided some great food.
Participants in the Valparaiso Wine Festival received a complimentary wine glass for unlimited tasting. VIP members were allowed in early and admission in the VIP tent where the food pairings were located.
“We are partnering with the local businesses to put on a great community event to help promote some of our brands and to help people who are into wine taste something they wouldn’t taste in a normal place,” Portfolio manager for Southern Wine & Spirits, Nate Swetalla said.
The relaxed atmosphere was complete with music by local band, Freek Johnson.
Tim Carollo, a visitor of Valpo, decided to check out Valpo by participating in the festival. “This is a really great event with so many wines to try. It seems like a great way to experience the community and have a fun time.”
Central Park Plaza made for the perfect spot for the amount of participants involved.
“The setup and the way the city has designed the area and the level of expertise that everyone has put into this is really unique. The amount of participation that they get from the community and the distributers is great,” Swetalla said
Although the weather wasn’t perfect, guests and locals enjoyed a relaxing evening of wine tasting and experiencing downtown Valpo.
“We want everyone to experience downtown. Maybe they stopped and had a bite to eat or stayed for dinner on their way home. We want this event to overflow and continue downtown so that all the local businesses can be successful. We do this because we are passionate about our community and bringing people to downtown Valpo,” St. Aubin said.