Santa Fe's Annual Wine & Chile Fiesta

Santa Fe has its share of fiestas and notable events throughout the year, most within walking distance of The Madeleine Inn.   One of the most enjoyable and highly-anticipated is the Wine & Chile Fiesta, where walking distance might well be a very welcome attribute.  The five day celebration of food and wine runs from September 27-30, 2012.  Due to its increasing popularity, I highly recommend purchasing your tickets online as soon as possible, as most events sell out in advance.

The annual event brings 75 of Santa Fe's most notable restaurants (La Boca, The Compound, Santacafe and Restaurant Martin are some of my favorites) together with 100 national and international wineries.  In addition to food and wine tastings on both a large and small scale (a tour of Georgia O'Keeffe's home in Abique followed by lunch at Tomme is a top pick), are demonstrations by some of the country's top chefs (Chef John Rivera Sedler - named "Chef of the Year 2011" by Equire Magazine, among other national food celebrities), food-oriented walking tours, and a selection of wine seminars.

The highlight of this extravaganza is the Grand Tasting, taking place on September 29th at the Santa Fe Opera, which includes all participants of the fiesta under huge white tents.  Imagine sampling the best food of Santa Fe together with wines from New Mexico to Mexico, Chile to France, while enjoying the opera's stunning views of New Mexico landscapes.  The cost of the event is $150 per person, and worth every dollar.

The weekend culminates with the Gruet Golf Classic at the Towa Golf Course, just 15 minutes from town.  Every third hole features one of the Gruet Winery's delicious sparkling wines paired with food from a different Santa Fe restaurant.  Golf never tasted so fine!