Vermont Life Wine & Harvest Festival Celebrates Vermont Wineries, Food Producers and Artisans

July 30, 2009 – Wilmington, VT – Vermont wines, cheese, specialty foods and products will be celebrated at September’s 2^nd annual Vermont Life Wine & Harvest Festival in the Mount Snow area of Vermont. Hosted by the Mount Snow Valley Chamber of Commerce and Vermont Life Magazine, the weekend long festival held September 25-27, takes place in the towns of Dover, Wilmington and Whitingham.

The weekend long event features authentic Vermont experiences which including Bluegrass BBQ, farmer’s breakfasts and a series of popular wine pairing dinners at the Mount Snow Valley’s finest eateries in addition to the daytime outdoor festival. The Vermont Life Wine and Harvest Festival is a showcase for Vermont wines, Vermont specialty foods and artisans of all types celebrating the rich uniqueness, quality and ingenuity of Vermont producers. Set in the backdrop of Vermont’s world renowned Vermont fall foliage; attendees will discover, savor and enjoy Vermont vintners, small specialty food producers, painters, publishers, cheese makers, potters, jewelers, chefs, photographers and farmers.

The centerpiece of the weekend is the two day outdoor festival set at the intersection of Routes 9 and 100 in Wilmington, at the former site of the Southern Vermont Garlic Festival. Some highlights of the festival include:

· A wine-tasting tent featuring 10 Vermont wineries

· Sampling of Vermont cheese and specialty foods

· Chef demonstrations from notable restaurants around the state including:

o Hemingway’s of Killington

o The Putney Inn

o River Valley Cafe

· Highlighted entertainment by Eugene Uman and Howard Brofsky of the Vermont Jazz Center and the Will Patton Trio.

· Restaurant food tent featuring local Vermont specialties from Vermont Smoke & Cure, Vermont Cheese Council, Skinny Pancake and the Chelsea Royal Diner.

· Book signings with Vermont authors

· Presentations by the Vermont Cheese Council and Vermont Grape and Wine Council

Schedule of weekend events:

Friday September 25th:
"Welcome to Vermont Blue Grass Party and BBQ" with the Jim Flynn Trio and BBQ by Elaine Timmons Catering at the Matterhorn Inn West Dover Hours 7-11pm

Saturday September 26th:

"Vermont Life Wine & Harvest Festival" at juncture of Routes 9 East and 100 South in Wilmington, VT: Food, Wine, Crafts, Entertainment and Demonstrations Hours 10-5

Limited seating Vermont Wine and Cheese receptions at the Inn at Sawmill Farm with Shelburne Farms Vineyards and at the Hermitage Inn with Boyden Valley Winery. Hours 4:30-6

Vermont Wine pairing dinners at The Doveberry Inn, The White House of Wilmington, The Hermitage Inn, The Roadhouse Restaurant and Harriman's Restaurant at the Grand Summit Resort and Conference Center featuring Vermont wines and scintillating menus. Reservations required

Sunday September 27th:

"The Indigenous Vermonter Breakfast" sponsored by Vermont Smoke and Cure and hosted by the Deerfield Valley Rotary at the Dover town Hall - Hours 8-11 am

"Vermont Life Wine & Harvest Festival" at juncture of Routes 9 East and 100 South in Wilmington, VT: Food, Wine, Crafts, Entertainment and Demonstrations Hours 11-5

Sponsors for the festival include: Town of Dover, Chittenden Bank, Honora Winery and Vineyard, Vermont Public Radio, Deerfield Valley Energy, WKVT 92.7 Classic Hits, Mount Snow, Vermont Smoke and Cure, Vermont Vacation (Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing).

Tickets and more information are available from the Mount Snow Valley Chamber of Commerce either online at www.thevermontfestival.com or by calling 802-464-8092. Weekend packages at local inns available with promotions posted on www.visitvermont.com.

Press Contact:

Laura Sibilia

Mount Snow Valley Chamber of Commerce

(802) 464-8092

laura@visitvermont.com

Vermont Life wine & Harvest Festival

Vermont Life Wine and Harvest Festival Celebrates Vermont Wineries, Food Producers and Artisans

August 24, 2008 – Wilmington, VT – Vermont wines, cheese, specialty foods and products will be celebrated at next month’s Vermont Life Wine and Harvest Festival in the Mount Snow area of Vermont. Hosted by the Mount Snow Valley Chamber of Commerce and Vermont Life Magazine, the weekend long festival held September 26-28, will take place in the towns of Dover, Wilmington and Whitingham.

Laura Sibilia, Executive Director of the chamber says the Mount Snow area is eagerly anticipating the festival kick-off. “We’ve spent some time creating an appealing blend of events and activities centered on traditional Vermont food and artisan favorites combined with fresh new Vermont products like our newly minted Grape and Wine Council.”
The weekend long event features authentic Vermont experiences which include a Bluegrass BBQ, farmer’s breakfast and a series of wine pairing dinners at the Mount Snow Valley’s finest eateries in addition to the daytime outdoor festival. The Vermont Life Wine and Harvest Festival is a showcase for Vermont wines, Vermont specialty foods and artisans of all types celebrating the rich uniqueness, quality and ingenuity of Vermont producers. Set in the backdrop of Vermont’s world renowned Vermont fall foliage; attendees will discover, savor and enjoy Vermont vintners, small specialty food producers, painters, publishers, cheese makers, potters, jewelers, chefs, photographers and farmers. “Culinary topics and enjoying the good life are of a major interest to Vermont Life readers,” explains Tom Kelly, Publisher of Vermont Life. “The festival provides an excellent connection between the magazine, its readers and what its readers enjoy: high quality food and the good things in life.”

The centerpiece of the weekend is the two day outdoor festival set at the intersection of Routes 9 and 100 in Wilmington, at the former site of the Southern Vermont Garlic Festival. Some highlights of the festival include:
· A wine-tasting tent featuring 10 Vermont wineries
· Sampling of Vermont cheese and specialty foods
· A panel of Vermont Life food writers including:
o Marialisa Calta, author of several books including Barbarians at the Plate,
o Melissa Pasanen, author of Cooking with Shelburne Farms and
o Ellen Ogden, author of The Vermont Cheese Book
· Entertainment by the Vermont Symphony Orchestra Brass Trio Fanfare, the Will Patton Trio, the Stockwell Brothers, and the Richard Mayer Group
· Restaurant food tent featuring local Vermont specialties
· Cider press demonstration by Adam Buursma of Arboreal Habitats
· Weaving demonstration by Adams Farm
· Rock climbing wall and 100 foot inflatable – fun for all ages!
· Book signings with Vermont authors
· Presentations by the Vermont Cheese Council and Vermont Grape and Wine Council

Schedule of weekend events:
Friday, September 26: Welcome to Vermont Bluegrass Party and BBQ featuring The Stockwell Brothers at the Matterhorn Inn in West Dover. Hours: 7pm – 11pm

Saturday, September 27:
Vermont Life Wine and Harvest Festival at junction of Routes 9 and 100 in Wilmington. Hours: 10am – 5pm.

Vermont Wine and Cheese reception at the Inn at Sawmill Farm, sponsored by The Purple Chef and hosted with Shelburne Farms Vineyards and The Vermont Cheese Council. Hours: 4:30-6pm

Vermont Wine Pairing Dinners at The Doveberry Inn, Deerhill Inn, The SteakHouse Grill at the Nutmeg Country Inn and Harriman's Restaurant at the Grand Summit Resort and Conference Center featuring Vermont wines and scintillating menus. Reservations required.

Sunday, September 28:
The Indigenous Vermonter Breakfast sponsored by Vermont Smoke and Cure and hosted by the Deerfield Valley Sportsman's Club in Whitingham. Hours: 8-11 am

Vermont Life Wine and Harvest Festival at junction of Routes 9 and 100 in Wilmington. Hours: 10am – 3pm.

Sponsors for the festival include: Town of Dover, Chittenden Bank, Honora Winery and Vineyard, Vermont Public Radio, Deerfield Valley Energy, Southern Vermont Arts Guide, WKVT 92.7 Classic Hits, Mount Snow, Vermont Smoke and Cure, Vermont National Guard, Vermont Vacation (Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing) and The Purple Chef.

Tickets and more information are available from the Mount Snow Valley Chamber of Commerce either online at http://www.thevermontfestival.com/ or by calling 802-464-8092. Weekend packages at local inns available with promotions posted on http://www.visitvermont.com/.

The Mount Snow Valley is a four season resort area known for world class skiing, mountain golf courses and an abundance of hiking and biking opportunities. Centered at the southern tip of the Green Mountains along Southern Vermont’s major east-west route 9, Mount Snow is 4 hours from New York City, 2 hours from Boston, MA and 1 ½ hours from Hartford, CT.

Press Contact:
Laura Sibilia or Lisa Sullivan
Mount Snow Valley Chamber of Commerce
(802) 464-8092
laura@visitvermont.com

Vermont's Governor signs new wine festival bill

Wilmington, VT – Vermont wineries and organizers of the Vermont Life Wine & Harvest Festival were in a celebratory mood last week when Vermont’s Governor Jim Douglas signed into law new legislation beneficial to Vermont wineries and the festival. Vermont Life publisher Tom Kelly, Commissioner Bruce Hyde from the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing and area legislators joined businesses and residents from the Mount Snow area at the historic White House of Wilmington for the signing.

“It’s a real pleasure to be here today in support of both Vermont agriculture and Vermont wine makers,” Douglas said prior to the signing.

The bill, H.700, was sponsored by Representatives John Moran and Ann Manwaring during the 2008 Vermont legislative session and allows Vermont wineries the ability to sell bottles of wine at festivals Previous Vermont liquor legislation allowed only for sales of glasses of wine, and festival organizer Laura Sibilia of the Mount Snow Valley Chamber of Commerce says the new law will be a boon both for Vermont wineries and for visitors to this falls Vermont Life Wine & Harvest Festival.

“This is really an exciting opportunity for Vermont’s burgeoning wine makers,” she said, adding “the one stop shopping at the festival will give visitors an opportunity to sample, purchase, and learn about the majority of Vermont’s growing wineries.”

The Vermont Life Wine & Harvest Festival will take place in Southern Vermont’s Mount Snow Valley September 26-28 in 2008, and in addition to showcasing Vermont wines, will highlight the large number of quality small specialty food producers in the state. Vermont artisans of all types will round out this uniquely Vermont festival, which will include headline entertainment from the Vermont Symphony Orchestra’s brass trio Fanfare, and an education segment from the Vermont Grape and Wine Council

"The passage of the wine bill only makes it better. Expectations for the first annual Vermont Life Wine & Harvest Festival are even higher. For us, the event is a natural, Vermont Life readers are self described foodies”noted Tom Kelly, Vermont Life Publisher. “Working together with the talented and energetic folks at the Mount Snow Valley Chamber of Commerce is a pleasure. Because of their efforts, the event planning is well in hand. We feel we can add a lot to the event. Vermont Life magazine has credibility and media reach in Vermont and the region. Culinary topics and enjoying the good life are a major interest of Vermont Life readers. Our readership is passionate about Vermont.”

Vermont Agriculture officials say wine is another example of how Vermont farmers are diversifying to find new markets. Vermont wineries have focused on using cold-hardy French hybrid grapes, but have also been experimenting with some other varieties. Honey, apples, pears, blueberries, and maple are also increasingly being used in Vermont wines.

For more information on The Vermont Grape and Wine Council contact President Dave Boyden of Boyden Valley Winery & Farm 70 Vermont Route 104 Cambridge, Vermont 05444 Email: info@boydenvalley.com Telephone: (802) 644-8151 Fax: (802) 644-8212

For more information on The Vermont Wine & Harvest Festival or visiting Vermont this fall contact: The Mount Snow Valley Chamber of Commerce PO Box 3 Wilmington, VT 05363 Email: info@VisitVermont.com Telephone (802)464-8092 Fax: (802) 464-0287