A few weeks ago, when I heard about the 5th Annual Cleveland Wine Festival:

I got super excited, because: Hi, have you met me?  I.LOVE.WINE.

My level of excitement increased exponentially when I found out that I’d been approved for Press Passes for the event!

I heart my city! Hey there, Cleveland!

We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day!!

We headed down around 4pm, and everything was already totally hopping!

Our game plan – head straight for the back corner so that could just work our way forward, as opposed to weaving all over the place!

Perhaps it’s just me, but I think multiple wine bottles arranged together just looks so pretty.  Please tell me it’s not just me?!?!

(Note: I tried at least a sip from all the stands pictured in this post, but I’m only going to talk about the notable ones!  If you have any questions – let me know!)

Bandit “Juice Box” wine just makes me happy!

The first wine that really caught my attention was this Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc (from Marlborough)

After trying probably about 20 – I ended up going back to this table. This was hands-down my favorite wine of the event!

One sip and I was in heaven!   It has that nice citrus taste, and this one “other taste”, that is very distinct to New Zealand Sauv Blanc’s – that I can NEVER put my finger on. 

Wine drinkers – what is that almost floral-y taste in New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs??

Another pit stop I really enjoyed: Raven’s Glenn, a “Mid-Ohio” winery! (Just like Mike’s Aunt & Uncle’s!)

All of their wines sounded way to sweet for my liking, but I was swayed to try the Sensual Strawberry – and I have to say – it was awesome!  It WAS very sweet, but not over-powering.  Definitely a good summer wine!

Want to know the coolest thing I learned at the Wine Festival?

I always pronounced this brand P.K.N.T. – because of the periods in between each letter.  Apparently – it’s actually pronounced pee-cahn-te! 

Also, I must say – at $6 a bottle – you really can’t beat P.K.N.T’s taste!

Another favorite of mine was the Truck stand.

Green Truck, White Truck, Red Truck!

I tried both the Sauvignon Blanc and the Petite Sirah, and they were both fabulous!

Look “who” I found sneaking their way into the Wine Festival – Skinny Girl Margaritas!

Pretty sneaky Bethenny, pretty sneak…

This was good, not great. I’d much rather buy my own tequila & triple sec, and make my own “skinny” version.  Thanks anyway though Bethenny!

I really enjoyed how many local wineries were represented!  One of my long-running favorites: Debonne Vineyards!

I know I love their River Rouge, so it was nice to get to try some of their other wines, without having to commit to the whole bottle!

I tried Razzberry Riesling – too sweet for me (but I’m sure all your Riesling fans would just LOVE it!), and "Harmony” – which was a sweet summer treat!

Seriously though – if you want to test out Debonne – always go with River Rouge – it’s taste like Concord Grape juice, turned in to wine!

Pretty bottles (always appealing to women, right?!)

Shearer’s was there representin’ Ohio chip companies! (and giving away pretty sweet coupons!)

The festival even had multiple stands, with AMAZING smelling food, but it was just too hot to eat. We stuck with our libations, but had it been about 15 degrees cooler, I totally would have been drinking some Sauv Blanc, while eating a fresh gyro!

Did I mention – it was quite HOT!

I mean HOT. Like – I showered right before we came, blew my hair dry, and straightened it, only to have it look like I’d just stepped out of the shower as we were leaving the festival!

It felt great to get in the car, and turn on some COOOOOOL air conditioning!

Speaking of cool – want to know the coolest fact about the Cleveland Wine Festival?

The festival’s proceeds will benefit the Bright Side of the Road Foundation; founded by Clevelander Barry Winovich to help find a cure for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), the devastating disease commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

The whole event was VERY well put together, and truly a pleasure to attend.  The vendors were all laid back and pleasant, and really just looking to chat, not to try and SELL. A very big thank you to Giant Eagle & Patton Public Relations for the opportunity to attend!