The 5th Annual Winnipesaukee Wine Festival at Church Landing!

Get ready for two great nights of music, food, and wine next week, as the Fifth Annual Winnipesaukee Wine Festival and the Pre-Festival Beach Party come to the shores of Meredith Bay on Wednesday, June 23^rd and Thursday the 24^th!

The Wine Festival will be held on Thursday from 5:30 – 8:00 in the Winnipesaukee Ballroom at Church Landing, where 21 vendors and winemakers will offer tastings of hundreds of fine wines accompanied by delicious hors d’oeuvres.  These delectable dishes will be prepared by several local eateries, including Lakehouse Grille, The Corner House Inn, The Coe House, Wild Coyote Grill, Owen’s Farm Stand, Town Docks, Lago, and Camp.

Also on hand will be Cisco Brewers, a microbrewery and distillery from Nantucket, offering samples of their small-batch beers, as well as their popular Triple Eight Vodka.  They will even set up an ice bar, where folks can enjoy martinis poured through the ice luge!

Music will be provided by the talented local jazz duo of Don Williams and David Tonkin, who play frequently throughout New Hampshire in various jazz ensembles and bands, and are also on staff at the Concord Community Music School.  Nothing goes better with fine wine and food than great jazz music!

A $50 donation per person is requested, and all proceeds benefit The Haiti Limb Project, a small charity that was started locally to help survivors of the recent earthquake in Haiti.  All the money raised will be hand delivered to the people who directly help the amputees there.

The Inns and Spa at Mill Falls are helping out too, by extending special rates just for the occasion.  With proof of your ticket purchase for the festival, a room at Mill Falls is $99, and a room at Chase House or Bay Point only $109.  You can wine and dine all night long and not worry about driving home!

Frank Barbagallo of Duckhorn Wine Company in Napa Valley, California pours samples for attendees at last year's Winnipesaukee Wine Festival.

“It’s the biggest bang for your buck,” says Diane Downing of the Common Man Family, who is organizing the event.  “There will be over 100 wines, beautiful food, wonderful music, rooms at the Inns at half price… and every penny goes to our charity.”

To top it off, there will be a raffle for the fundraiser with some great prizes, including magnums of wine from some of the vendors, an overnight stay at the Inns and Spa at Mill Falls, an overnight stay at the Common Man Inn, something special from Wholly Tara Boutique in Ashland, and a vacation package of three nights and four days for four people at a beach cottage on Nantucket.

Kick off the event early at the Pre- Festival Beach Party to be held at Town Docks Wednesday evening at 6:00.  Enjoy some summer sangria while you dance on the sand!  Robbie Leblanc, formerly of Toto, will be there with his new band to keep the party jumping!  There will be no cover charge for this event and half the proceeds will go to the Haiti Limb Project.

These two days of festivities are “more than just sipping wine,” says Diane.  “These people give so much.”  To join the fun and the good cause, call the Common Man Family at 603-968-9330 or visit their website at www.thecman.com.  For the special room rates at the Inns, please call 800-622-6455 and mention the Winnipesaukee Wine Festival.  Hope to see you there!

Carrie Reed
The Mill Falls Blogging Team

Image credit:  yashima at Flickr.com