On Saturday and Sunday, the 10th annual Washington D.C. International Wine & Food Festival brought a record crowd of 6,800 to the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. Representatives from more than 200 international and domestic wineries poured some 800 wines for guests, who paid from $85 to $95 each for a Grand Tasting ticket. Doors opened at noon for wine merchants and wholesalers and at 2 p.m. for the public.
In the soaring atrium, sponsor and carmaker Infiniti showed its latest models alongside vintner booths from sponsor and trade group Wines of Argentina. In the adjoining atrium hall, chefs with shows on American Public Television, as well as food writers from presenting sponsor The Washington Post, gave cooking demonstrations. All around, there were bites of cheese here and crackers to nibble there. But essentially, the event was about the wine.
“It’s a tasting show to attract people interested in learning more about wine,” said show director Ed Hurley, of Boston-based Resource Plus-Shows and Exhibits, which also produces wine events in its hometown, New York, and Newport, Rhode Island. "And more people are coming, we think, because they are traveling less and doing more local events." What it’s not, Hurley said, is a “drinking show.” There are only occasional problems with overconsumption, and strict controls are in place, he said. “We have a 35-member security team per day. We closely watch people’s consumption. We watch the doors and make sure that if people have too much to drink, they take a cab,” he said.
In addition to the wine and food exhibitors, there were several dozen lifestyle exhibitors in the mix selling (or offering handouts of) everything from herbal cosmetics to jewelry to vinyl home siding. Greenbelt, Maryland-based Universal Energy Corporation displayed a bathtub and double-paned windows. “People who drink wine and like food live in houses, too,” said marketing rep Robin Nearon. “People come by and say: ‘That’s my next home project.’”
Chocolatier Mary Schellhammer, owner of Fredericksburg, Virginia-based Spice Rack Chocolates, likes a variety of exhibits as well. “It works to my advantage,” said Schellhammer, whose booth was next to a home renovation company. “Every person who walks in says, ‘Hmmm, home windows or chocolate?’ An easy decision. If I were next to cheese, they would waver.”
The last pour hit the glass each day at 6 p.m.
