We do not do too many events in Rhode Island, but we always make sure to participate in the Eat Drink RI Festival. The Grand Tasting, held this past Saturday 4/26, is a showcase of the food and drink vendors helping Rhode Island – and New England – grow. Caitlin and Madison staffed the 90+ Cellars table and poured Lot 50 Prosecco, Lot 2 Sauvignon Blanc, Lot 33 Rose, and Lot 53 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Along with wine we handed out stickers and also gave sunglasses to anyone who signed up for our email list – just like at Wine Riot.

Just because Caitlin and Madison were working doesn't mean they didn't get a chance to walk around and sample the food and drink. After all, our whole business is other people's wine!

Caitlin's home state of Connecticut was represented by Jonathan Edwards Winery, and they offered a vast array of wines for tasting. The Cabernet Franc, Petite Sirah, and Petite Sirah Dark were standouts.

Though this table poured fellow-MA-based wines (our friends Westport Rivers from Wine Riot!), Caitlin's favorites here were the French reds: Cotes du Rhone and Bourdeaux.

Caitlin also preferred this table's reds – and the free gift bags!

Sangria was being mixed up with Hendry Vineyards 2013 Rose and fresh strawberries! Though the weather outside was frightful, that springy beverage was quite delightful.

Just because the Grand Tasting took place during the afternoon (started at 11AM in fact!) doesn't mean hard spirits were being offered. In fact, they were being offered in abundance! One of the restaurants, Los Andes, even served Pisco Sours (made from Pisco, the “Peruvian tequila”) with its food.

The ceviche (with a kick!) kept a constant line of people awaiting each freshly prepared batch.

Okay, back to the hard stuff. Our Boston buddies Bully Boy (enough alliteration for you?) mixed up a cocktail created by Trade, which tasted GREAT with an added float of our Lot 50 Prosecco!

A few lucky visitors to this table got to take home this twist on the “Shotski”.

The Rhum Clement cocktails tasted so refreshing, and made us long for the rain to stop and the sun to come out so we could sip them alfresco.

We love seeing partnerships, especially when they result in creamy coffee cocktails. This is certainly the beverage we felt “okay” drinking before noon: Rhody Fresh Half & Half, Dave's Coffee Syrup, and Loyal 9 Vodka.

Due to the 11AM start time, some cocktail-makers tried to mix up drinks that felt a bit “brunch-y”, like this one from Giffard Liqueurs. 

OK, pause for a water break! All that alcohol will certainly make you thirsty. Good thing tables of water bottles on either side of the room stayed well-stocked all day. That's a rare find at these kinds of events!

Okay now back to the booze – beer, to be specific! What's a New England event without beer?! Madison and Caitlin didn't try any though – beer tends to be filling for these all you can eat events!

OK, this is a food event, right?! You wouldn't believe it if you stopped reading here but luckily we have plenty of photographic proof. Of course there was cheese, and the setup by Naragansett Creamery was epic!

Hope & Main, a full-service culinary business incubator (RI's first!), offered not just cheese but other goodies from some of their businesses.

Oyster lovers were all set, with two booths offering up some of the freshest around.

 

Cheese…oysters…and of course, house-cured meats from Daniele, Inc. All manners of wine and food pairings were happening at Eat Drink RI!

We could never get through this post without mentioning the delicious wine-infused gelato by Vino Gelato! Of course just because there was already wine in the gelato doesn't mean we didn't pair our wine with it…

One of Caitlin's favorite combos of all time is red wine and pizza. Madison too enjoyed the fresh cheese and thin crust by Top This Pizza Crusts. Clever name!

Mentioning salad right now may seem like a total 180, but bear with us. Though RI Omega-3 Dressings were served atop plain romaine, the dressings were so flavorful that they could've been served atop grass and it probably still would've tasted great.

Alright, that's enough salad! Back to the goodies! Such as both savory and sweet offerings from Humble Pie Company.

Our table neighbors Shri Bark very generously gave out not only mini samples but full-size bars for attendees to bring home! You can bet we grabbed some.

Caitlin and Madison both left very satisfied and also very pleased by how the event went. Unlike Wine Riot (which was still fun), this slower-paced gathering was the perfect chance to stop and take the time to really educate people about 90+ Cellars and our wines. Not to mention our upcoming Saturday 6/7 Rose cruise (the DRINKROSE33 discount code is still good til 5/15 for $10 off!)

If you tried any of our wines at the event, or if you want to try some of our other wines, be sure to look into our Wine Club or our online store case discounts (15% off each bottles with purchase of a case or more). Both Wine Club and an assorted case are a great way to try and learn about as many of our wines as you can!

Did you attend Eat Drink RI, or have you ever attended a similar event?

Which of the food & drink we sampled looks best to you?

Do you make extra effort to support local food & drink vendors?

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