Become a Wine Connoisseur at the Poverty Bay Wine Festival!

This year, the 8th Annual Poverty Bay Wine Festival in Des Moines, has added a new feature to its' already robust schedule of activities.  Not only will participants have the opportunity to enjoy tasting wine from 25 Washington State premier wineries, sample northwest cuisine from 8 different food merchants, and enjoy live entertainment from 5 local bands, they can also learn about the wines they love.  Wine classes are now being offered and will be available each day of the event starting at 5:30 pm on Friday, March 2nd.

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Drew Tekell
Sommelier at The Scotch & Vine

The wine classes will be taught by Drew Tekell who is the Sommelier from Des Moines's very own Scotch & Vine Restaurant.   Drew has been with Scotch & Vine since its grand opening in June 2011.   After graduating from Le Cordon Bleu in Scottsdale, AZ in 2003 with a degree in Culinary Arts, he moved to the Seattle area in January of 2009.  With 15 years hospitality experience in all aspects of the restaurant industry, Drew also has received the level 1 sommelier certificate in 2007 and is BarSmarts certified.  Since joining The Scotch & Vine, he has been working on developing the wine and spirits programs, as well as teaching wine classes in the restaurant.  In a interview with Drew, he stated, "I absolutely love wine, food, and all that they have to offer. I am thankful that I can use this knowledge to help educate and further other people's understanding of what I love so much". 

The classes at the wine festival will cover a large variety of wines from different regions. They will also cover some of the fundamental topics such as proper holding and storing techniques for various AVAs/Appellations/Varietals; pairing tips for wines; tasting notes and how to differentiate flavors in wine & how they are made.

So if you are already somewhat of an wine connoisseur and just want to increase your knowledge base or if you are just a beginner, you are sure to find a class that suit your needs.  We hope you will come enjoy the wine and stop by to see Drew at Poverty Bay Wine Festival on March 2-4 at the Landmark Event Center in Des Moines. 

For more information about the Poverty Bay Wine Festival or to purchase tickets, please visit www.dmrotary.org .