SAVOR Dallas: A Wine and Food Paradise

For me and other foodie/winos in the Dallas area, this weekend is Christmas, birthday and whatever other holiday you can think of wrapped up into one. It's SAVOR Dallas time. A weekend of food and wine tasting that only comes to North Texas once a year. It's the closest thing we get to the legendary food and wine festivals in South Beach and Aspen.

I discovered it last year, and, despite an icy weekend here in Dallas, spent two days in tastings and seminars. Learned about sparkling wines from Andrea Immer, mixed cocktails with Dale DeGroff and sat in on a panel which compared (rather competitively sometimes...) Texas and California wineries. Topped it all off with an evening of wines from around the world and foods from the best chefs in Dallas at the International Grand Tasting.

This weekend is the third annual event. I've had the opportunity to get to know founder Jim White over the last several months, and he uses his longtime passion for food and wine to pack the weekend with the best of the best. Friday night will be the Wine Stroll. The opportunity to taste wines in the Arts District and Victory Park. And, excitingly, the chance to taste things from the new restaurants which are working to transform the area adjacent to American Airlines Center into our own version of Times Square.

Saturday brings a series of wine and cocktail seminars with well-known names like Doug Frost, the wine diva Christine Ansbacher and Tony Abou-Ganim. Plus the cooking demos which include gastronomic rock star Rocco DiSpirito. And the debut of Victory Park's HUMONGOUS LCD screens with a showing of Babette's Feast.

Then join me at the International Grand Tasting. A two or three football field size space filled with scores of wineries and other producers serving over five hundred wines, spirits and imported beers. Pair those sips with tastes from chefs like Kevin Maxey from Craft, Stephan Pyles and cheeses from Paula Lambert's Mozzarella Company and you've got an evening to remember. (Go ahead and reserve a room at the Hilton Anatole...you'll be in no condition to drive.)

See you this weekend as we SAVOR Dallas!