Tickets on sale for Third Annual Delaware Wine & Beer Festival
Tickets are now on sale for the Third Annual Delaware Wine & Beer Festival to be held Sunday, Oct. 21, produced by Kent County Tourism and being hosted by the Delaware Agricultural Museum & Village in the heart of Dover. A full contingency of Delaware wineries, breweries and artisans will participate in the event.
To date, the following wineries and breweries have signed up to participate: 16 Mile Brewing Company, Georgetown; Argilla Brewing Company, Newark; Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton; Fenwick Wine Cellars, Fenwick Island; Fordham/Dominion Brewing Company, Dover; Nassau Valley Vineyards, Lewes; Twin Lakes Brewery, Greenville; and Unplugged & Uncorked Sonata Wines, Millsboro.
"We are pleased to announce the participation of Delaware's newest brewing company," said Lorraine Dion, director of public relations and special events for Kent County Tourism. "Argilla, located in Newark, is Delaware's first nanobrewery, which is a smaller version of a microbrewery having less than a four-barrel system."
Argilla was born out of Pietro's Pizza, started 34 years ago by Rodger Powell. Son Steve, a home brewer for the past nine years, saw the need for new beer varieties to serve with Italian dishes. Therefore, the entire operation was recently moved to a larger facility in Newark, one that accommodates not only the pizzeria, but also the nanobrewery. Now Argilla has three house beers on tap, a nice accompaniment to pizza, subs, salads, entrees and homemade desserts.
Premier sponsor of the 2012 festival is the Delaware Wine & Ale Trail, created by the Delaware Tourism Office to promote Delaware's growing wine and beer industry. It is a unique collection of more than a dozen locations throughout the state that welcome and educate visitors about the production of Delaware wines and brews. Location host and sponsor is the Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village. Live music, the Delaware Artisan Faire featuring the work of 30 Delaware artisans and a corn hole tournament will also be offered.
The event will be held from noon to 5 p.m. Admission, which will include choice of 10 samples, will be $25 if purchased online by Oct. 15 and $35 at the door. The first 500 wine and 500 beer ticket purchasers will each receive a free souvenir glass. Non-tasting or designated driver admission is $5. Full pours of wine and beer will be available for sale along with nonalcoholic beverages and food provided by local restaurants.
The event will be held rain or shine, and will be moved inside the museum in case of poor weather. To purchase tickets, go to http://2012delawarewineandbeerfestival.eventbrite.com. For information, go to http://www.visitdover.com/winebeerfestival, or call Kent County Tourism, 302-734-4888 or 800-233-5368.
