Get ready to raise your glasses this weekend as the Lincoln Park Wine Festival returns to Jonquil Park for its seventh year.
The park, 1001 W Wrightwood Ave., will be transformed into a swirling sea of wine aromas, complete with wine and food. Attendees don’t have to be experts; master sommeliers and brand ambassadors will offer insights and advice to help welcome newcomers to the world of vino.
Tickets are still available online, but general admission is sold out for Friday and Saturday. Prices for VIP tickets start at $83, and both grant entry to a two-hour tasting session, with the event being restricted to those aged 21 and up.
The festival will feature wines from various regions, from the new world of California to old world with Italy and France. A few master sommeliers, of which there are only 273 worldwide, will be on hand to dispense expert advice.
A master sommelier is the highest distinction in fine wine and beverage service. In order to become one you must pass a series of exams, some of which include a tasting, theory and service examination.
Serafin Alvarado, master sommelier and Illinois wine education director for Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits, will be in attendance this weekend, hoping to give out wine tips to newcomers.
“Keep an open mind,” Alvarado said. “Experiment and learn about the origins and distinctive aromas of each wine you taste, because it can influence how you eat in the future or what new wine you buy at the grocery store.”
For those with more developed palates, the festival will also feature wines that aren’t the typical mainstream grocery store offerings, with wines that “you normally can’t get your hands on,” according to Hank Zemola, CEO of Special Events Management. Some of these wines are limited from Napa Valley, such as the 2016 Sarocka Antra Cabernet Sauvignon and a 2021 Peju Sauvignon Blanc.
Twelve bottles of select varietals will be uncorked for each GA ticket holder to try, and brand ambassadors will explain the wine-making processes. VIP ticket holders will receive five additional specialty wines, some of which are exclusive and in limited supply.
There will also be food from Cafe Tola and Las Tablas, as well as live music by DJ Julio.
The festival’s website has compiled a list of wine snob terms to help wine enthusiasts stay on top of the wine game and conversations. The list includes red and white wine evaluation terms as well as varietal characteristics.
“If I’ve learned anything about my process, it’s that it never hurts to learn more,” Alvarado said.
“Every wine expert in attendance will be accessible; we spend years, if not decades, studying wine,” he added. “Ask where the wine was made; talk about the wine’s dryness, body, simplicity and complexity.”
Proceeds from theevent will go to the Jonquil Park Advisory Council and will be used for long-term park improvements and events like movies in the park and park clean-ups, according to Courtland Hickey, president of the Jonquil Park Advisory Council.
“We like to raise funds and we like to have fun with the community, and the wine festival is a great opportunity for that,” Hickey said.
The festival is set to get underway at 5 p.m. Friday and will continue until 7 p.m. Sunday.
“I hope that people leave feeling inspired, fulfilled and eager to continue trying new things,” Alvarado said.
More information can be found on Lincoln Park Wine Fest’s website.
