The Windy City Wine Festival is coming to Grant Park on September 9 and 10… here is a link for more information and tickets: WINDY CITY WINE FESTIVAL
It’s an outdoor end-of-the-summer celebration and what I love about it isn’t necessarily the wine (but the wine is important). First, the site is ideal. The event wraps around about 2/3rds of Buckingham Fountain, for those of you not from Chicago, that is the fountain featured at the opening of Married with Children. Lake Shore Drive, Monroe Harbor, and Lake Michigan is a few hundred yards to the east and the towering buildings on Michigan Ave are a short distance to the west. At just about dusk, the jets of water from the fountain are lit up in an ever-changing light show, the hotels and Hi-rise buildings in Michigan Ave are bathed in an amber glow. The boats bob up and down in the harbor and a cool breeze sweeps in from the lake. At that moment the city is gorgeous and there you are, soaking in the moment with good friends and a glass of wine in your hand.
Yes, there will be more than 300 wines to choose from, along with food and entertainment, but when I think back on past WCW Fests it isn’t always the wine I remember. It’s that instant when the sun sinks and the lights of the city bring the beauty of Chicago to life. That moment, to me, is worth the price of admission. And of course, there is a whole bunch of wine.
