Survival Guide to Aspen’s Food & Wine Classic 2011

It’s almost here! One the most prestigious foodie and wine lovers gatherings: The Aspen Food & Wine Classic. This year’s event comes to life with cooking demonstrations and wine tastings. Seminars led by wine and food superstars such as Mario Batali, José Andrés, Jacques Pépin, Gail Simmons, and Joshua Wesson provide a world-class experience.  This three day weekend is a full treat for the senses.

So how to survive a food & wine festival that will host more food, wine and celebrities than you’ve see before? Here are the tips that will make your Food & Wine experience the best.

1.Do a Little Research.  With over 50 different Speakers, multiple wine presentations every half hour and tons of cooking demos you will need to know what you would like to try otherwise you will be overwhelmed with the choices.  A good resource is the Food & Wine Classic Speakers page – You can sort through all the different Speakers and find their sample itineraries!  Pick someone you love and see what their “can not miss” things are!

2.    Eat First then Drink: If you (for some unforeseen reason) get a dish that you just don’t love, don’t eat it all! Also look for some of the up & coming chefs at the festival! They are there for a reason- they are good!  By eating first you won’t so severely suffer from all the amazing wine you’ll try later.

3.    Don’t taste every wine.  It sounds shocking but really you don’t have to try them all! Ask the distributor what their favorite wine is.  It is great way to see a big wine and get the feel for what the winery is really striving for.

4.    Water! Aspen is high altitude and the sun will be strong and hot.  Make sure you get in some good gulps of water between tastings and you’ll be good to go all day!

Make sure you also get your Food & Wine Lodging for the weekend! The Inn at Aspen still has rooms available. See the current rates and book online now!