Last Saturday was our second time covering the USA TODAY Wine & Food Experience in Las Vegas. Last year it was held in Summerlin, and this time, held in Downtown Las Vegas, it had a much bigger footprint – with many more wines than before. But there was still plenty of spirits and cocktails to sample, along with food from local eateries. My favorites, and those I was able to visit, are listed below in an excerpt from my social media section. (Photo credit: Ed Bushman)
New to the event was the addition of the Port Wine Fest, which brought probably three dozen more wine tables, with representatives from Portuguese wineries serving both the Port wine they are famous for but also white and red wines from their own indigenous grapes. The choices to sample seemed endless.
“Port Wine Fest is a Portuguese wine festival hitting Las Vegas, Chicago, and New York City in October 2024. Taste 100+ wines from over 40 producers and explore traditional Portuguese food pairings in your city…” and were very popular indeed. Honestly, there could have just been a single event for these Portuguese wines.
Along with the wine, and the spirits mentioned below, the event is perfect for allowing guests to sample food from restaurants that they already love or haven’t tried yet. I know that the ones I mention, again below, I will make an effort to visit.
Social Media
Shout outs go to the drinks and food we tried from: Frey Ranch Distillery, Uncle Nearest, Espresso Martinis from Ketel One vodka, all the wines from the Port Wine Fest tables, Fetzer wines, Bonterra organic wines, not-too-spicy Ghost Tequila, Origami Sake, Grill’N with McMillian, Chinola fresh fruit liqueurs, Slaters 50/50, Bowltastic, Project BBQ, The Crab Shack, Evel Pie, Gastro Edo, and Water Grill! Check it out, they have four more cities before they’re done this year: San Francisco 10/19, Raleigh, NC 10/26, Phoenix, AZ 11/2 and Naples, FL 10/16!
#EveBushmanWhatsInYourGlass #EveBushmanWhatsOnYourPlate #USATWFE #LasVegasWFE @FreyRanchDistillery @UncleNearest @KetelOne @PortWineFest @FetzerWine @Bonterra @GhostTequila @OrigamiSakeCo @Mcmillian29 @Chinola @Slaters5050 @BowltasticFood @ProjectBBQLV @EvelPie @GetCrackShacked @EdoTapas @WaterGrill @USATodayWineFood
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Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in the first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Proof Awards, Cellarmasters, LA Wine Competition, Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.
