Two weeks, one festival, one national birthday later...hello again!
We took last week off from the newsletter...the Fourth felt like a good excuse for a breather, particularly after months of build-up culminating in one grand Saturday. So this is our first note back since the festival, and coming off the 27th at Hula Lakeside, we're still catching our breath a bit.
One thing we've heard again and again over the past ten days is just how extraordinary the food was this year.
Our restaurant partners truly brought their A-game, and it showed...in the creativity of the dishes, the sheer variety, and the care that went into serving thousands of bites over the course of the day. We’ve always believed the food should be every bit as exciting as what’s being poured into the glass, and this year, the restaurants truly rose to the challenge.
And somehow, the weather decided to cooperate, too. It was one of those spectacular Vermont summer days that made the setting feel especially magical...music on the patio, people stretched out across the lawn, glasses in hand, and Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks doing their part in the background.
After all the planning, lists, emails, spreadsheets, and weather-app refreshing that go into a day like this, seeing people simply settle in and enjoy it was pretty wonderful.
To everyone who made the day possible...the wineries, restaurants, breweries, distilleries, specialty food producers, sponsors, musicians, volunteers, staff, vendor partners and every single person who bought a ticket and spent part of their Saturday with us...thank you.
There are an enormous number of moving parts behind an event like this, and an equally enormous number of people who show up, pitch in, share what they do, and make the whole thing come alive. We truly appreciate all of you.
Photos by the talented Katya Andrievskaia of Tone Curve Studio.
On the Menu…
Starters
Tastemakers: Steve Poirier, Founder, Buena Gave
The Long Pour: South Africa…A Wild Wine World!
What’s On
Starters…
Fifteen years in, and with this big event behind us for another year, we're back to thinking about what’s next for Burlington Wine & Food...not just the festival, but everything we're building around it. We don't want to copy what other people are already doing well...we want to build things that feel like us, and that you actually want.
Take the Champlain Dinner Club. We’re only a few months in, and it's already become one of our favorite things we do. And we want to keep growing it...but there's a challenge baked into it. The concept depends on having a concentration of restaurants within a small geographic area, and honestly, there really aren't that many pockets of northern Vermont that offer that. So if we want CDC to expand, we have to get creative about how and where we do it.
We've floated the idea before of getting small groups of you together to talk through ideas in person, and that's still very much on our radar...look for more on that soon. In the meantime, consider this an open invitation: if you've got ideas — for the dinner club, for new events, for anything you'd love to see from us — just hit reply or drop us a line. We read everything, and we'd rather hear directly from you than guess what folks want.
Which reminds us…the next Champlain Dinner Club heads back to Winooski on July 22. Take the quiz, get matched with five people you've never met, and we'll book the table...you find out where you’re going the morning of. And yes, couples and friends can sign up together. The registration fee is $15.95, and guests pay for their own dinners and drinks.
Come find out what people are smiling about…sign up here!
Paid Partnership
A Taste of the Coast, High in the Mountains
There are few things better suited to a summer afternoon than cold oysters, a glass in hand, and nowhere in particular to be.
This Saturday, July 11, Spruce Peak’s Oyster Festival brings all three to the Village Green for a free, open-air celebration of oysters, coastal flavors, and summer in the mountains. Some of the East Coast’s most celebrated growers, including Island Creek Oysters, Ninigret Oyster Farm, and Breakwater Oysters, will be shucking throughout the afternoon, giving guests the chance to taste oysters from different waters and discover just how much place matters.
Add in live music, food and craft beverages, lawn games, kids’ activities, and educational outreach from the Lake Champlain Basin Program, and you have a pretty compelling reason to head to Stowe for the day. No schedule, no assigned seats...just show up hungry and stay awhile.
Tastemakers: Steve Poirier, Founder, Buena Gave
Each week, we feature three quick questions with someone bringing something creative, thoughtful, or fascinating to the food and wine scene here in Vermont and beyond.
This week, we caught up with Steve Poirier, founder of Buena Gave, the tequila-based canned cocktail brand built around real juice and ingredient transparency.
Read the full interview, including why he believes beverage startups need to move slowly, the value of making friends in the industry, and where he sees the world of canned cocktails heading next…
South Africa…A Wild Wine World!
by Mike Stolese
When folks think of South Africa, wine is probably not the first thing that comes to mind…lions, leopards, elephants and safaris probably rank far ahead.
But with that said, South Africa does offer an incredible selection of wines that really need to be explored (who knows…perhaps a Syrah Safari?).
Although the South African wine industry dates back to the late 1600s, for a variety of reasons it wasn’t until the early 1990s that the world started taking notice…
What’s On…
There's a heck of a lot on the calendar over the next two weeks. Here's how to dive in…
Cousins Maine Lobster — the seafood truck that got its start on Shark Tank and has since grown into a $1 billion company with trucks in more than 30 states — is making a rare Vermont stop. This particular truck from Connecticut will be parked at the Lowe's in Essex today (July 9th) from noon to 6 p.m., serving lobster rolls, lobster tacos, bisque, and loaded lobster tots. You can also order ahead online if you'd rather skip the line.
It’s a busy night downtown tonight, too, as the Church Street Marketplace and Foam Brewers launch Party on the Bricks from 5:30 to 8 p.m., with music starting at 6. The event will run for six straight weeks through mid-August, and this week's stop is outside Halvorson's Upstreet Café, with Ursa and the Major Key, an indie/psychedelic rock band out of Plattsburgh. Halvorson's is handling food and drink, with classic comfort food, beer, signature cocktails and even gluten-free and vegetarian options in the mix.
Also tonight, Hotel Vermont hosts its second annual Cherry Street Social on the Harbor Terrace, where chefs from Hen of the Wood, Frankie's, Juniper, Vivid Coffee, Thingz From Yaad, and The Harborvale will join forces on a shared-plate menu, cherry-inspired cocktails from the block's best bartenders, and live music from Ponyhustle. Tickets were still available as of press time.
Up in Stowe tonight, American Flatbread's weekly Creemee Days continues on the patio, weather permitting, with Palmer Lane Maple's truck parked out front alongside the usual locally-focused flatbread menu, and Jeff Nicholson playing live this week.
And if something quieter is up your alley, the Mad River Distillers tasting room in Burlington is hosting another night of “Good Games with Good Friends”… it’s a free game night from 5 to 9 with no cover, just good drinks.
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This weekend, the Waterbury Arts Fest runs two days with two different vibes. Friday the 10th from 5 to 10 p.m. is the Block Party, with the Big Tree Brewing beer garden, live music and food trucks lining the street. Saturday the 11th from 10 to 4, swaps in an art market with a hundred vendors, plus a cocktail garden by Salt & Rind, more live music and tons of food options.
Also on Saturday, as seen above, Spruce Peak in Stowe is running what may be Vermont's first dedicated Oyster Festival, pairing East Coast oyster farms with Veuve Clicquot and a mountain view.
And in Essex, Vermont Cider Lab marks its third anniversary on Saturday. The Lab is open from 1 to 9 p.m., with live music on the green starting at 4…and as an added bonus, Gone to the Dogs Photography is doing mini photo sessions from 2 to 6 (dogs welcome, and encouraged).
• • •
Wednesday the 15th is another busy day around the area, with the weekly Beach Bites back at Leddy Park in Burlington from 5 to 8 p.m…. check out the food trucks, live music, sunset over the lake.
Also on Wednesday, Downtown Winooski is hosting one of its monthly Block Parties in Rotary Park, with live music, face painting, and a nudge to grab takeout from a Winooski restaurant on your way in.
And that same night, The 126 hosts Spritz & Stem from 5:30 to 7:30. Each ticket gets you a 10-stem bouquet you build yourself, plus one spritz cocktail from a rotating menu of four (one non-alcoholic). Take your bouquet home wrapped in paper, or in an empty liquor bottle if you want to add to your home decor.
• • •
Next Thursday the 16th, Salt & Bubbles in Essex hosts Vive les Vignerons, a guided tasting of six rare French bottles from Peter Weygant Imports, led by the importer's own Warren Leonard. As they mention in the event descriptor, these are the kinds of wines that are rarely opened for tasting due to their price, scarcity and collectability. It takes place from 5:30 to 7, and anything you buy is 10% off at the register. Get your tickets here.
• • •
The downtown Burlington business community is breathing a sigh of relief that the Main Street construction is finally done, and Burlington is throwing a two-day Block Party to celebrate. On Friday and Saturday, the 17th and 18th, downtown fills up with live music, DJ sets and artist talks on the four new public art installations now scattered through downtown. P.S. It’s also a great excuse to visit some of the restaurants and bars that perhaps you avoided during the construction.
Before we go…summer brings out the age-old debate: is it ever okay to put ice in your wine?
One sommelier weighed in on Instagram recently, and her take was refreshingly simple…yes, it's a bit of a faux pas in certain settings, but if you're going to do it, do it properly. Think Brigitte Bardot, not backyard barbecue. A few cubes, a rosé that can take it, and zero apologies.
We're not here to settle the debate. We're just saying...it's summer, it's hot, and the wine police have the day off.
See you next Thursday.
