story & photos by John Stratton

John and Pat King came down from Randolph, Massachusetts; Jason

Cascaldi and Theresa Damore came up from Milford. And they joined some 12,000

others over the weekend of January 27-29 at the Mohegan Sun’s

Uncas Ballroom, all there to taste of the vintners’ delights, savor

delectable food samples, and get “how-to” cooking tips from some

of the nation’s best chefs gathered at The Sun WineFest ’12.

John and Pat had been here before, and they made a point to come down and see the sights and taste the offerings. Jason and

Theresa will definitely come back again,

they say, summing up their experience in one word: “Awesome!”

When you have many hundreds of wine, beer, and spirit categories from vineyards and distilleries from across the country and

around the world, you can quickly realize that there’s a big taste-task ahead of you. And when you add in the

exotic and tasty snacks and mini entrees from top restaurants in our own region — including several from the Sun’s own repertoire -

- there’s even more to sample.

Celebrity Chefs, familiar favorites from TV’s top cooking shows, offered live cooking

demonstrations, seasoned with a touch of humor and showmanship befitting their star-class reputations.

The “Grand Tasting” in the ballroom featured more than a thousand selections, and there were special events in private dining

rooms for amateurs and experts. Elite Cru tasting seminars sponsored by wine experts unveiled “best of the best” vintages

worldwide; an unabashed Grape Stomp and Mohegan Sun Oyster Open competitions enlivened the days; and a closing feast of

Bubbles and Bon Bons offered champagnes, desserts, and supreme facetime with the famous.

If you don’t know much about wine and food, this is the place to be; and if you already do know a lot about wine…it’s also the place

to be!

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