Plans are firming up for the 2012 edition of Grape & Gourmet, and expect another year for this tasting at Cal Expo albeit with some tweaks.
The event features pours of winning wines from the California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition along with food sampling from regional restaurants. After a couple years at the Sacramento Convention Center, Grape & Gourmet moved to Cal Expo in 2011 and held on one very hot day at the California State Fair.
The move wasn't such a good one. Winery owners and the general public alike complained that the wines weren't keeping so well during a sweltering late-afternoon at the fair.
So, Grape & Gourmet will be held once again at Cal Expo but after the fair - which runs July 12-29 - when the event can be held at its indoor exhibition halls.
This set-up is similar to Grape & Gourmet's origins at Cal Expo, before moving in 2009 to the Sacramento Convention Center. Slumping attendance and date conflicts at the Convention Center instigated the move back to Cal Expo last year.
Look for the confirmed date for Grape & Gourmet 2012 to be firmed up in the next few weeks.
"We're looking at a couple different dates," said Brian May, deputy general manager of Cal Expo. "We need to look at how quickly the buildings can be cleaned up from the fair. It'll be a similar concept to what we've done before."
We'll keep you posted when that Grape & Gourmet date is confirmed.
Chris Macias is the Bee's food and wine writer. Follow him on Twitter @chris_macias
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