N, Wash. — Washington State University’s Sigma Iota Hospitality
Club has set Friday, Nov. 3, as the date for this year’s “Winefest,” an annual
fall tradition on the Palouse for the past 17 years. Tickets are now on sale.
“Winefest 2000: Taste the Millennium!” will feature 25 wineries from not only
Washington this year, but also Idaho and Oregon. Two seatings, from 5-7 p.m.
and 8-10 p.m., are planned at Ridge Pointe Community Center located atop the
Bishop Blvd. hill in Pullman. The street address is 1402 S.E. Fancy Free Drive.
Parking is available across the street.
“Come enjoy a relaxing evening while sampling wines and mingling with
friends,” invites Winefest 2000 event coordinator Alison Gioia, a junior from
Connecticut majoring in Hotel & Restaurant Administration in the WSU
College of Business & Economics. “To add extra flavor to your evening,
tantalize your taste buds with a sumptuous Italian buffet provided courtesy of
Spokane’s Old Spaghetti Factory and prepared by HRA Students.” Sigma Iota
members who are at least 21 years old will also serve as pourers at the event.
“We understand from our distributors that a new wine from Hogue Cellars —
Viognier, a white Rhone varietal, will be at Winefest 2000,” says Sigma Iota
event marketer Kate Kurkjian, a junior from Richland. “This wine has flavors of
pear, pineapple and honeysuckle, and received high marks in the Aug. 31 issue
of ‘Wine Spectator’ magazine.” That wine, and others featured at Winefest
2000 by the wineries, will be for sale by the bottle at the event.
Tickets this year are $25. All tickets for both sessions in recent years have sold
out well before the event, so the club encourages those interested in tickets to
buy theirs soon. Tickets are available by emailing wsu_winefest@yahoo.com
or by phoning 509/338-3462. All attendees at the event must be at least 21
years of age.
“Purchase of an admission ticket assures guests 10 tickets to ‘buy’ one-ounce
servings of the wines, plates at the Italian cuisine buffet, and a souvenir wine
glass commemorating this year’s gala,” says Gioia.
Sigma Iota is the largest of five student clubs in HRA. Winefest 2000 is the
main fundraiser for the club each year, with proceeds used for club activities.
Sigma Iota is hospitality based, but is open to all students who want to gain
experience and knowledge of the hospitality field.
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