Vibrant Rioja Announces 3rd Annual Rioja Grand Tasting Events

NEW YORK, April 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The king of Rioja grapes, “Tempranillo," will take center stage during Vibrant Rioja's 3rd Annual Grand Tasting events on May 2 in San Francisco and May 5 in New York. An exploration of the versatile range of Rioja Tempranillo, these tasting events will give press and trade guests the opportunity to sample more than 350 Riojas from 70 importers, the most comprehensive showcase of wines from the region in the U.S.

“Our 2011 Grand Tasting’s focus is on Tempranillo, a varietal that is increasingly popular in the U.S. because of its consummate versatility, high quality and pairing ability with a wide range of foods,” says Pablo Olay, the Vibrant Rioja Campaign Director. “On our first visit to San Francisco and in New York, we are pleased to host seminars that explore the spectrum of style Tempranillo reaches in Rioja.”

The seminars, led by esteemed wine educator Marnie Old, will feature Cristina Forner, distinguished owner of Marques de Caceres; Diego Pinilla, budding winemaker at Bodegas Bilbainas; and Rafael Vivanco, visionary winemaker of Bodegas Dinastia Vivanco. Providing a local perspective, other panelists include Earl Jones, founder of TAPAS, the Tempranillo Advocates group in San Francisco, and Paul Grieco, co-owner and Wine Director of Hearth Restaurant and the Terroir Wine Bars in New York.

For the first time ever, the Vibrant Rioja campaign will broadcast the invite-only New York Grand Tasting live on the web for those unable to attend. Starting May 5 at 10:30am EDT, wine aficionados from all over the world can watch the seminar on www.vibrantrioja.com/riojabuzz. Using the official Twitter event hashtag #RiojaBuzz, viewers can comment and tweet in their questions for the seminar panel, which will be answered during the Q&A session. Following the seminar, Wine for All Founder W.R. Tish will continue the live broadcast with interviews of attending winemakers and guests.  

In partnership with Snooth, Vibrant Rioja will extend its annual New York Grand Tasting to wine lovers for the first time this year. In addition to great foods and Rioja wines, the tasting event will feature a deejay, as well as other fun surprises. A select group of the Snooth community will be invited to register for complimentary access to the Grand Tasting the evening of May 5.

About Rioja

Located in north central Spain, Rioja is considered one of the greatest red wine regions of the world. Rioja reds are blended predominantly with the indigenous tempranillo grape from one of the region’s three subzones— Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja, and Rioja Alavesa. The DOCa of Rioja administers highly sophisticated and stringent quality control in the winemaking process, from viniculture to bottling. More than 200 brands from Rioja are available for purchase in the U.S. For more information, please visit www.vibrantrioja.com.

Trade and media: Sign up for the 2011 Vibrant Rioja Grand Tasting events here.

CONTACT: Laura Rossacher, +1-646-218-6003, [email protected]

SOURCE Vibrant Rioja