Last Saturday we went to The Grand Tasting at the Crested Butte Wine and Food Festival. Our friends Bob and Terri suggested we go, so we got tickets at the last minute. We are always looking for ways to meet more people and be involved in the Crested Butte community, so we cleaned up and headed to the skating rink, which makes a great event venue in the summer.
I wanted to go because I wanted to meet people and see my friends, but I am not much of a wine drinker. I like wine much more than it likes me, so walking around drinking lots of wines from different wineries could easily end very badly. We saw our friends as soon as we walked in, which is lucky because it was a big crowd. They had already made the rounds once, so they suggested we scope out the options before we started tasting.
The first table we came to had an assortment of tequilas. It was one of several that we saw. The next few displays were distillers featuring flavored artisanal gins. Then we discovered Kansas City Whiskey by Reiger’s Distillery out of Texas which is a blend of rye, bourbon, corn whiskey and finished with a cherry based Olorosso sherry. The Reiger’s Distillery table quickly became our favorite. In addition to their Kansas City Whiskey, they had a variety of other offerings. I looked more than I tasted, but I have to say any wine tasting with that many great non-wine offerings is my idea of a good time.
Evans found a chocolate Irish cream that he loved called Five Farms Irish Cream. It tasted like an alcoholic milk shake and all I could think was how quickly that could turn bad for me. I later saw a friend with an entire glass of it over ice. I just laughed and walked away.
When I wasn’t chatting with friends or discovering dangerous new vices, I was people watching. The Crested Butte social scene is eclectic, to say the least. There are natives and year-rounders, but an equal or greater number of visitors or, like us, summer people. I play the “which one are you” game as I look around. Langley accuses me of having gone native, and I do own and wear zip-off fishing pants or shorts much of the time, but I still have my Nashville clothes for social events. Last year, I wore Jack Rogers sandals to church and a lady walked up and said, “You aren’t from here. Where are you from?” So, we give ourselves away in the little things. Happily, people are accepting of interlopers. The question is are they from Texas, (which is a large number of Summer people), Denver, or one of any other far-flung hometowns.
At the event, we found out there is both a summer Broadway series and a summer Opera series. We bought tickets for the Broadway showing for next Saturday and may try the opera event later in the year. It’s not only fishing, hiking, and gorgeous views here. There is a street/food/art market every Sunday and we never miss. We go to the free concerts held in town and on the mountain every Monday and Wednesday evening. We live in Nashville most of the time but listen to more live music here than we ever will at home.
Part of living here is trying new things. I am at a time in my life where I’m not just open to new adventures, I am actively seeking them out. I am talking to more strangers and tasting things that I may not like at all, but I am ready to find out. I am less concerned about fitting in and more excited to just show up. So, wine tastings where I never actually drink wine, concerts for afro-fusion-rock bands I’ve never heard of, or hikes where I just follow the leader and pray I don’t fall down, are all part of the adventure.