I’m willing to bet that I know what local wine connoisseurs are daydreaming about right now: those fabulous pours in store for tonight at the Centennial Wine Expo. This is the inaugural year for the event, which takes place this evening from 6 to 9 p.m. at Moulin event space at 2017 Chouteau Ave., but one that is anticipated to become an annual wine affair.
Get your oeno on because general admission ticketholders (Sorry, VIP tickets are sold out.) will have the opportunity to sample wines from around the world – nearly 150 wines in total – from 15 area wine distributors. Most of the wines are currently only available to restaurants or specialty wine shops. Grab that tasting sheet and keep track of your favorites, for you can order any of the wines in a mixed case format. Complimentary nibbles like cheese and crackers will be available, but if you need to fill your belly, just head to Vin de Set or PW Pizza, both located inside the building, before or after the event.
Scott Gaghan, Centennial Wine Expo founder and wine director for 1111 Mississippi and Vin de Set, explained the impetus for the event. “We decided to do it because we’ve had a good level of success with our beer festival that we do on an annual basis.” He continued, “We wanted to give an opportunity to have the St. Louis wine market get together. There is few and far between where the general public can do a tasting of this size for this price point.” The cost of admission, he pointed out, equated to what someone “can easily spend on a bottle of wine.” And, he added, “The general public has the opportunity to purchase [wine] at aggressive retail pricing.”
Thirsty? General admission tickets are $38.66 and can be purchased here or at the door. But wait, why buy one ticket when you can get two for free? Head here, to enter to win two tickets to this event. Our giveaway will be running until 1 p.m. today. We will announce our winner here and on Facebook, and we’ll send you an email if you’re the lucky winner.
***This giveaway has ended. Kent Ritzel, you are our winner! Look out for an email from the Sauce crew. Everyone else, thanks for playing! Check in next Friday for another drinking-inspired giveaway!***
This article appears in April 2013.