When you love wine, and you resolve to indulge as often as possible, attending food and wine events becomes a quest. That’s one reason I look forward to Savor Dallas each year, and this year was no exception. The Ninth Annual Savor Dallas, the largest wine and food event in Texas, went off without a hitch again this year. But for me, a wine journalist who has attended several times, the four-day event was bittersweet. As always, organizers wanted to showcase a spectacular new venue while guests sip fine wines and sample chef-prepared foods. So this year, Savor Dallas, which attracts more than 5,000 wine and food lovers annually, added another day. The event kicked off with a Thursday preview at Trinity Groves, instead of the usual Friday soiree. The soon-to-be opened Trinity Groves shopping complex highlighted the recently opened Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. Designed by world famous Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava, the bridge has put Dallas on the international map. I was unable to attend the Thursday evening event, but was thrilled to attend the 7 to 9 p.m. Friday evening wine affair. Held at the new Perot Museum of Nature and Science within the Dallas Arts District, the museum was an excellent backdrop for the start of the weekend wine and food events. Those who have attended the Friday night “wine stroll” know that you can expect an abundance of fine wines. First-time attendees, however, expected to dine on finger foods as well. With wine stroll tickets priced under $40 apiece, guests should not have been surprised to see wine simply paired with crackers and cheese. Saturday’s events were another story. Savor Dallas hosted its usual daytime wine seminars, which I always attend. My thirst for wine knowledge equals my thirst for all wine. The evening event kicks off with a traditional “Reserve Tasting” of some of the finest wines, spirits and beer on the planet. This 5 p.m. event featured delectable food samplings prepared by more than 60 area chefs and their respective restaurants. VIP entered a nondescript ballroom to find tables draped in black. This Reserve Tasting is for the true wine connoisseur who is in search of high caliber premium wines. At 7 p.m. Saturday evening was the main event: International Grand Tasting. If you’re lucky enough to be among the VIP, you can enter this ballroom and begin tasting the best wines while grazing on exceptional cuisine. The selection of wines is to die for. The Reserve Tasting and the International Grand Tasting were again held at the state-of-the-art Irving Convention Center in Irving, Texas. Savor Dallas ended its annual food and wine extravaganza this year by hosting another wine stroll at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. But unless I read about it in the newspaper or on some website, I won’t know how it went. That’s because after attending the Grand Tasting, I fell down the stairs while on my way to the International Grand Tasting. Have you ever been walking and not paying attention to exactly where you are going? My hope is that nobody thought I had had too much to drink. That was certainly not the case. Nevertheless, the ICC staff and Irving Fire Department paramedics responded within minutes of my fall. Ice packs and physical exams were offered on site. But no amount of concern or medical attention could keep me from enjoying the International Grand Tasting So despite the pain I felt in my thigh, and in spite of a noticeable limp, I made my way into a gigantic ICC ballroom to feast on virtually every kind of wine on the planet. Here are but a few of the wines offered: Bodegas Bilbainas, Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de LaTour, Becker Vineyards, Copa di Vino, Clos du Bois, Chandon, Estancia, Fohie a Deux, Gloria Ferrer, Freixenet and many more. Among the outstanding restaurants represented by their stellar chefs were: Central 214, Ava, Asador, Cool River, Culpepper Steak House, Dakota’s, Del Frisco, Luna Tortilla’s, La Madeleine, La Vendeau, Dragonfly, and many more. Savor Las Colinas Executive Chef Eduardo Alvarez provided major assistance with food organization. Kroger, where many of the wines that were featured during the four-day event can be purchased, was among the sponsors. Louis M. Martini, Irving Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and several others sponsored the event. My experience was bittersweet this year, but had I not known that I could expect the very best in wine and food at the International Grand Tasting, I may have returned to my hotel room and nursed my bruised leg instead. Next year, Savor Dallas will celebrate its 10th year of providing a memorable weekend of wine tasting and gastronomy. I’m planning ahead and I’ve decided to take the advice of a friend. Next year, I’m ditching my 3-inch heels and wearing flats, which the Wall Street Journal magazine says are back in style.
