The South Sound Eats Holiday Sparkling Wine Tasting is a perfect opportunity to experience the other side of tasting wine — not the sensory aspect, but the practical one. No matter how much you read about wine, there’s no substitute for personal experience. But there’s often a vast difference between the wine we can consume — or afford — by ourselves and the wine we’d like to try given unlimited funds (and a liver of steel). Thus, there exists the beast known as the wine tasting. Whether it’s a few bottles on a counter at the corner liquor store, or a thousand-wine formal event with etched glasses and hors d’oeuvres on silver platters, a tasting is an unparalleled learning opportunity.



Kris Blondin, former owner of Vin Grotto Cafe and Wine Bar and wine expert for this rag, will be pouring sparkling wines for your pleasure Tuesday, Dec. 16 at Maxwell’s Speakeasy + Lounge, hosted by South Sound Eats Web site. She has eight sparkling wines — from sparkling rose to sparkling syrah to Champagne — that she’ll sniff, swirl, pour and spread knowledge about. Maxwell’s Executive Chef Matt Colony will present a dish for each wine.



Blondin knows her wines. Find the perfect one for this holiday season.



[Maxwell’s Speakeasy + Lounge, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 6-8 p.m., $15, 454 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, 253.683.4115]