Travel,Wine and Cuisine by Christopher J Davies

Cochon555 is all about amazing pork and delicious beverages. This national series is returning to Denver on Sunday. This year’s event has transformed into their popular Heritage BBQ format. I attended the 2016 event at the Ritz Carlton. Denver top chef Troy Guard (TAG, Guard and Grace, Mister Tuna, etc.) was the winner. The VIP ticket proved to be a great value as you get to meet the chefs and begin tasting an hour before the venue starts accepting General Admission ticket holders. There were tons of great dishes and beverages galore. Many of Colorado’s top chefs and sommeliers were in attendance. 2017 Cochon555  There will be 5 chefs, 5 winemakers and assorted spirits and cocktails. Including Boulder based, Hosea Rosenberg, now owner of Blackbelly, made Colorado foodies proud when he won Bravo’s Top Chef, Season 5 in March 2009. After winning, his life change in many ways. He has cooked with celebrity chefs on TV and at events around the world. For the last few year’...

The 2015 Denver International Wine Festival happens next week!  The 11 th edition will take place from Wednesday October 28 to Friday October 30, 2015…just in time for Hallowine!  Wine Country Network has vowed to eliminate conducting promotions with deal sites like Groupon, Travelzoo and Amazon.Com. Instead they offer generous promotional incentives to serious folks who join the Denver International Wine Festival Newsletter list: http://www.denverwinefest.com/newsletter.html They also publish monthly incentives on the DIWF Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Denverwinefest DIWF Deal Blotter: If you have been holding off and waiting for a deal, there are a couple of promotions that might entice you! Pairsine Chefs Fine Food and Wine-October 29, 2015- Westword75 This event is like Iron Chefs meets really amazing wine. 11 top chefs will create 22 gourmet pairings. There will be more than 40 Gold Medal wines from the ...

Guests arrive in the cellar Denver, Colorado, Thursday May 16, 2013. It was like a set from an HBO miniseries, filmed inside a working wine cellar. There were fourteen rounds set to feed about seventy wine and food lovers, the tables displayed amongst towering racks of new and old oak wine barrels, curtains flowing from the ceiling amongst soothing light to soften and section the dining area, and vases full of freshly cut flowers decorated the cellar. Guests eagerly awaited to taste Balistreri’s newest wines from barrel, many months before they are to be bottled, offering a rare glimpse of future wines. The talent was abundant that night. Bravo TV’s “Top Chef” Season Five Winner, Hosea Rosenberg, created a spectacular six-course pairing menu with his team at Blackbelly Catering. Chef Rosenberg has remained true to his roots after his win propelled him into culinary stardom just five years ago. There have been no automobile endorsements, just honest...

Anatomy of a Beer Competition Story and Photos by Christopher J. Davies We have been running professional wine competitions since 2004. Our annual Denver International Wine Competition has grown to become one of the nation's well respected double-blind wine competitions with a rapidly growing amount of entries received every year. www.denverwinecomp.com Over the past several years Darcy and I have become friends with Keith Villa, the Brewmaster at Blue Moon Brewing a division of Miller/Coors. Keith is an interesting guy who also likes to make his own wine every year! I was excited to learn that gourmet food and beer pairings are just starting to become popular in the US. I am talking about the typical beer and a hotdog at Yankee Stadium. I mean premium craft beers and gourmet food. It should not be hard to do you think? After all, the Germans have been pairing brews with their cuisine for centuries. Want an nice beer and food pair? Visit the Hofbräuhaus in Munich and try Two origi...