Grape escape gives wine lovers a reason to drink in the rain

Renwood Winery

The wet weather on Saturday afternoon did not stop hundreds of wine enthusiasts from attending the ninth annual Raley’s Grape Escape at Cesar Chavez Park.

Grape Escape is an outdoor event for foodies and wine lovers to sample the region’s finest wineries and restaurants.

Few attendees bought their ticket at the door, due to the weather, but those who bought their ticket in advance, paid $40.

Some attendees traveled from as far as Reno to get out of the cold weather, and although their day trip was greeted with more cold, they quickly forgot about it after a few glasses of wine.

The grass was muddy, and attendees dressed in rain boots and scarves while juggling their food plates, wine glass and umbrellas.

Tents surrounded the perimeter of the park, leaving a large open area for the “Chef’s Challenge” on the main stage.

Wineries from eight different counties participated in sampling their distinct blends of red and white wines. This year the Lodi wineries represented themselves well with quality zinfandels from Klinker Brick Winery and Harney Lane Winery.

Most of the food complemented each variety of wine. Lines formed for the tiny cupcakes from Sugar and Spice Specialty Desserts and the pesto pizza from Tuli Bistro and Restaurant Thir13en. The lines were empty in front of McCormick and Schmick’s table due to the vacant space, some joked of the restaurant’s where a bouts. Jay Sherman, from Pizza Rock used the open space at the vacant McCormick and Schmick’s table to entertain the long lines with his pizza-spinning talent.

Celia Luna attended her first Grape Escape event and was pleased with a few wine vendors.

“Vino Volo was sampling some tasty red wine from Renwood Winery, and Peirano Estate Vineyards had a really good white wine,” Luna said.

Beer drinkers raved over vendors Sierra Nevada and Pyramid Brewery for serving full cups of beer at the wine event.

As the sun began to shine, the event concluded with top Sacramento chefs competing among a large audience, creating dishes out of a few challenging ingredients.

Chef David English from Press Bistro won the challenge over Chef Suleka Sun-Lindley from Thai Basil.

By the end of the day, muddy shoes were well worth the sampling from the 80-plus wineries and restaurants.