Taos Winter Wine Festival

One of the most highly respected festivals in the wine industry, Taos Ski Valley�s 21st annual Taos Winter Wine Festival - featuring more than 40 wineries and 200 varieties of some of the best wines from around the world � runs today (January 17) through January 27, 2007.

�In Taos, skiing is a passion, a sport that elevates the senses,� said Chris Stagg, Vice President of Marketing. �The Taos Winter Wine Festival conjures that same passion for us.� Stagg said that Taos Ski Valley SV founder Ernie Blake was the first to understand Taos� classic pleasures. �Always the consummate entertainer he often enjoyed a bottle of his favorite wine at dinner with good friends. What started off as cordial consideration in 1955 is now a tradition of genuine hospitality.�

The Taos Winter Wine Festival has evolved into one of the premier wine events in the in the region. Drawing more than 3,000 wine enthusiasts, the festival is filled with spectacular wine and food events throughout Taos Ski Valley and the Town of Taos, where restaurants host wine dinners and chefs pair dishes that compliment the wines they are featuring. Daily seminars are small (40-45 attendees) and give the participants an opportunity to meet and interact with the winemakers and vineyard owners on a personal basis.

�Skier, wine connoisseur or gourmet, the Taos Winter Wine Festival has something for everyone,� said Michael Cerletti, Secretary of the New Mexico Tourism Department. �Perhaps best of all, during the day you can ski Taos, where the conditions are nearly perfect.� This year you can sample wines from Spain to California, from New Mexico to Oregon, from Argentina to France. Seminars are offered Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays in the Resort Center.

The two Grand Tasting events each Friday (January 19 and 26) are less crowded than similar functions at other festivals, enabling wine enthusiasts to have better access to the wines being presented. In addition, a silent auction of wines, vacation packages and art by some well-known Taos artists will benefit the Nature Conservancy of New Mexico and the Taos Community Foundation.

For more information on the Taos Winter Wine Festival, visit 999dine.com orskitaos.org. For more information on Taos Ski Valley, call 505-776-2291 or write Chris Stagg jcs@skitaos.org, or Adriana Blake, amtb@skitaos.org. For images contact Seth Bullington,sethb@skitaos.org.