Seattle Wine & Food Experience expands

SEATTLE – As the Northwest wine and food scene matures, so too do related events.

The Seattle Wine & Food Experience takes place Feb. 21-22 and has grown into so much more than its origins seven years ago.

The food-and-beverage extravaganza expands each year, with the 2015 edition adding an extra event called POP! Seafood & Bubbles.

The Seattle Wine & Food Experience is run by Jamie Peha of Peha Promotions. She got her start in the Washington wine industry in 1994, when she was hired by the Washington State Wine Commission. In 1998, she was in charge of staging the inaugural Taste Washington at the Paramount Theater, a food-and-wine event that now is considered one of the best of its kind anywhere.

And just as Taste Washington has evolved into a multi-day event, so has the Seattle Wine & Food Experience.

POP! Seafood & Bubbles runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall. Sponsored by Seattle Magazine, it puts on display the bounty from the Pacific Northwest’s waters as it features many of Seattle’s top waterfront restaurants. Also featured will be sparkling wine (domestic and Champagne), cider and beer.

Here is the pricing for various tickets to the Seattle Wine & Food Experience:

• SWFE general admission (1-5 p.m.): $55
• SWFE VIP (noon-5 p.m., custom tote bag and special area): $70
• POP! Seafood & Bubbles: $65
• SWFE Big (entry to POP! and SWFE VIP ticket): $125

Seattle Wine & Food Experience features

Some of the features of the main event on Sunday, Feb. 22 include:

• Woodinville Wine Country is the spotlight region this year.
• Northwest, California and international wines.
• QFC Advantage Lounge
• Sip Northwest Distillery Row
• Tim’s Cascade Snacks Beer and Cider Exhibit
• Top Pot Doughnut and Coffee Bar
• Stella Artois Bistro and Chef Stage
• Ste. Michelle Wine Estates Tasting Bar
• Wente Vineyards Aroma Experience

The Seattle Wine & Food Experience once again will include a professionally judged wine competition conducted by Great Northwest Wine. Brian Carter Cellars in Woodinville won best of show in the inaugural competition for its 2011 Opulento, a fortified dessert wine.

The Seattle Wine & Food Experience benefits Les Dames d’Escoffier Seattle, an organization of women leaders in food and hospitality whose mission is education, advocacy and philanthropy. The Seattle chapter raises money to award scholarships for women in the culinary, beverage and hospitality fields.