Each year Washington wine gets one very special night to kick ass and party like a rockstar, and that night has come to be known as Wine Rocks.
Yes, wine and rock 'n roll can pair well together, but you've got to have the right blend. Thankfully, local wine-lovers and event planners, Jen Doak and Jamie Peha, have managed to perfect that: wine, music, food, and a cause.
Wine? Well that's a no-brainer. Washington has over 800 wineries and produces 12.5 million cases of wine each year. The wine industry employs almost 28,000 Washingtonians and makes up an $8.6 billion piece of Washington's annual economy. Let's make sure we do not underestimate the importance of the wine in this equation. Wineries from every corner of the state (and some neighboring ones) will be pouring wine at Wine Rocks! (There are too many to name, so instead we are going to give you this handy hyperlink ).
Music? Well, that seems too obvious. Seattle is the city that gave us Quincy Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Queensryche (well, that was Bellevue - yes, really - but close enough), and of course, birthed Grunge - I think we can all agree that we should take advantage of our area's unparalleled passion for music. In this instance, it's actual winemakers making the music. (Did I just blow your mind?) This year it's Gordy Rawson of Chatter Creek , Darren Des Voigne of Des Voigne Cellars , Caroline Warwick of Kestrel Wines with Micah Riesenweber of Market Vineyards , and Victor Palencia and Paula Ramirez of Palencia Winery .
Food? Again, this is not rocket science, people. Wine + Music + Food = Fun! And Seattle has given us perfect drinking food for over 50 years - (Dick's Drive In, 1:36 am) - and now food trucks are lining up outside our office high-rises downtown, beckoning us at 12:17 on Tuesday afternoon to a eat chicken and waffles - (on a stick!) Yes, food definitely seems to be a good idea for this wine and rock 'n roll blend. This year's food truck lineup for Wine Rocks includes Barking Frog Mobile Kitchen, The Grilled Cheese Experience, Jemil's Big Easy, Lumpia World, My Sweet Lil 'Cakes, and Papa Bois.
Finally, a Cause: That is what really completes this pairing and makes this event the best $45 you'll spend this summer. Each year, Wine Rocks selects a local nonprofit to donate the proceeds to, and this year it is one of Seattle's busiest, the University District Food Bank. This organization has been working to prevent hunger in Northeast Seattle for more than 30 years, and manages to help feed more than 1,100 families per week in their walk-in food bank. In just about 800 square feet, this incredible group distributed 2.3 million pounds of food last year. Besides their walk-in food bank, University District Food Bank also has a delivery program to help 55 home-bound seniors, and runs a backpack program at six local schools, which provides another 250 kids with healthy meals and snacks on the weekends when they aren't able to eat at school - (Which, in case you did not realize it, is how about 30,000 Seattle students get one or two meals a day).
Are you ready to rock out? I thought so. Seattle's 7th Annual Wine Rocks event will be held on Thursday, July 10, 2014 at Elliott Hall at Bell Harbor - Pier 66.
Now, I have some good news and some bad news. I'll give you the bad news first: It's already July 8 and you still have not bought your tickets to Wine Rocks - which means you might be crying in your empty wine glass at home on Thursday night, because this event sells out each year! You might miss your opportunity to party like a rockstar, with actual winemaking rockstars, while kicking hunger in the ass...
But here's the good news. It's not too late. At least, not yet. Tickets are still available at Brown Paper Tickets and your entrance includes delicious appetizers, an opportunity to taste wines from 40 Northwest wineries, as well as craft beers and hard ciders (and, you know, watch those wine rockers up on stage). And as a bonus, you'll get a free music download from event sponsor Sub Pop Records , who will DJs there spinning music between live sets.
Did I miss anything? It's quite likely. But that's okay too, because all the details you want to know about this unique event are on their sweet new website, at winerocksseattle.com. But I think we covered the basics:
Wine Rocks, music rocks, food rocks, and helping others rocks too. So make sure you let your inner rockstar out to party on July 10 at Pier 66 . You can thank us for it later.
