Sip, Savor & Wager

Are you kidding me?! How is this the first time that I'm hearing about this event?! This event was fabulous! It's basically an all you can sip wine buffet! An absolute dream for all of you winos out there. I came across this event on the Alameda County Fair website. I had planned to attend the fair, but couldn't figure out which date that I wanted to go. But once I saw this event, I knew that I just had to go and check it out because it just sounded too good to be true! I paid $45 for the event which included admission into the fair. Parking was not included, and I prepaid for parking online which costed $10.This event was actually held on the field right in the middle of the horse races! I was given a wrist band that included in and out privileges, but I ended up staying there the whole time since I got there about an hour and a half after it started. The event was held between 2 and 5 pm, but I rolled in "fashionably late" (ahem!) at 3:30pm. I actually feel like this was a great time to go because the lines weren't excessively long, and I might have passed out from all of the wine if I would have kept drinking.There were over 40 different wineries pouring their most popular and award winning wines! There were many local wineries as well as a few that I had recently visited while wine tasting in Mendocino county! Way too many to name, but there was so much variety! The pourers were mostly volunteers, so many of them didn't know too much about the wineries and the background of the wines. However, this event wasn't meant to be intimate as there were so many different wineries that were showcasing their wines.There were many shaded tables and chairs around where people could sit. They also had a big wager tent where people could sip while betting on the horse races! I did not participate in the betting this time around, but I would like to do it next year for sure. I must have tried over 50 different wines that day! A word of advice to anyone who is thinking about coming out: drink lots of water and pace yourself! I believe that they had a water stand available in the wagering tent, but I just brought my own. Unfortunately, I didn't follow my own advice and didn't pace myself. I'll let you figure out how the night ended...In any event, the Sip, Savor, & Wager was really fun! I met lots of people, mingled around, and tried many different wines that I had never tried before. There were also a few food trucks around for those who didn't get a chance to eat. This was the first time that this event was held in conjunction with the Alameda County Fair and I think it was an excellent turn out! Being able to get a closeup view of the horse races was icing on the cake. I definitely plan to attend the event next year if they decide to have it again!

Fun event. Gets really hot. First year they ran out of water! Next year they addressed it. It gets really busy later in the event so get there early. Biggest problem is they don't serve the wines (especially reds) at appropriate temperatures. Reds shouldn't be served at room temp when its 93 degrees out! Otherwise it's a decent time.