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Heard through the grapevine

WineGoneBad.JPG
The Autumn Wine Fest returns to the Mill City Sept. 27. Ahh, can't you just smell the pinot? The Wannalancit Mill is the unlikely location for this sampling of Bacchus' best. But at least the blokes at the Dracut Rotary are forward thinking enough to bring the imbibe vibe to DTL. Thanks fellas! Details are still coming of age, but this we know: 18 wine distributors have been selected by the GM of Lydia Shire's Scampo restaurant at the Liberty Hotel. This guy is from Dracut and his father is running the fundraiser. So I'm thinking the wines will be a step up from most Rotary fundraising fare. There won't be a drop of Yellowtail in the joint. Not a drop. A smattering of restaurants, none have been announced, will be at the ready w/ samples. And for a second year in a row, the ultimate purveyor of all things edible Formaggio Kitchen will be slicing imported artisan cheese and handing out global goodies. That's worth the $50 cover charge, believe me. www.autumnwinefest.org. I haven’t been to this fest before, but it seems to improve every year. Now that Rib ‘n’ Brews went up in smoke, this could be Lowell’s signature fall fest. Who's ready?

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Comments (10)
Brian :

Good thing it's indoors....with hurricane season upon us. What a poor, poor excuse for canceling a good festival. And why was that buried in the Sun?

Randy Haskins:

Who's ready for a wine fest? Who ISN'T ready? We're happy to hear that it'll be within walking distance for us.

But I have a question: After we plunk down $50, do we have to spend more to actually eat and drink???

BTW, we warmed up for this event by taking a trip to the Hardwick Winery (actually in Ware) over the weekend, and picked up a couple of nice bottles (one of which was already dispatched with some friends later that night, and was a big hit). We'll definitely be heading back there in the Fall.

mj:

I'm so, so disappointed in the cancellation of the Rib 'n Brews fest. This was the festival we always anticipated the most! I hope the coordinators really do pursue an Oktober-style microbrew festival as they mentioned in The Sun. The microbrew tent was the best part! Not just because of delicious beer, but also because there was a tent there to protect you from all the hurricanes that came through that weekend.

Anonymous:

Why did Rib ‘n’ Brews go up in smoke? That was my favorite Lowell festival.

Anon:

I was wondering the same thing that Randy is. Could you find out if the $50 covers all wine and food?

Corey:

I too will be missing Rib n' Brews. I already had plans to bring some Boston area friends up to the Mill City to show them we can put on a food festival too! Was last year, the year they said ther turnout was poor, the first year it was at Tsongas Arena instead of French St? I thought that location was awful and was wondering if maybe that had to do with the turnout, and the announcement that any Oktoberfest sort of thing would be "downtown." Hurricanes...

Jim:

God damn hurricanes!!!

I am really upset about the end of Rib ' n Brews; it has always been a highlight of the Fall for me. I don't remember the weather as anything but nice and I've always had guests come to visit during that weekend as a way to show off Lowell. My friend Bruce (a serious rib and brew aficionado) was very disappointed when he heard the news.

I think the wine fest has the potential to be amazing; alas, I have a birthday party to attend that evening.

Craig:

Wine and cheese sounds fun and all, but BRING ON OKTOBERFEST. This has the potential to be better than Ribs & Brews. The enterprise bank parking lot (where the culture fest is) would be a nice location for an Oktoberfest tent. Lowell really does need a fall bash (indoor wine fest at Wannalancit doesn't count).

EMS:

They invited (15?) artists to exibit and sell their work - I will be there with my photos and Jaqui Hawk with her paintings - not sure who else got in

I hope my art saves me the $50 but allows me to eat! Eat drink and support local art!

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