When folks ask me which Santa Fe event I like best, I always say Wine & Chile Fiesta. It’s the perfect way to kick off fall.

We all love chile, right? And wine is not far behind for a large portion of the population. Pairing the is nothing but ingenious.

The Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta is an annual week of events featuring the culinary artistry found in Santa Fe’s many excellent restaurants coupled with the sophistication and wines of national wineries.

By bringing 90 national wineries to Santa Fe to partner with 75 of Santa Fe’s best restaurants, a schedule of food and wine events is created featuring cooking demos, wine seminars, winery luncheons and dinners. Think films about wine at the Violet Crown. Think a guest chef luncheon at the Alan Houser Studio with a pairing of Italian Prosecco from Bisol and Jeio. Think cooking demos at the Santa Fe School of Cooking. Here’s a link to the schedule of events: https://santafewineandchile.org/schedule/

And every evening, you’ll have the opportunity to visit one of your favorite restaurants where a specific dish will be paired with the perfect wine. For example, we love Santacafe. On Thursday evening we have reservations for their Silver Oak dinner, another of our favorites. These dinners are a special once-a-year treat and we look forward to them every year.

On Friday there’s a special reserve auction and tasting at the Convention Centers. Wine collectors from all over the world will be there to sample and purchase the offerings.

The weekend culminates with the Grand Tasting at the Santa Fe Opera where all 75 participating Santa Fe restaurants and all 90 wineries serve samples of their best food and wine.

Of course that’s my favorite event! Eating and drinking at the Opera on a warm September afternoon is the perfect way to spend the first week of autumn. I always run into someone unexpected. And as a bonus I get to taste food and wine I might otherwise miss.

Here’s what you can expect at the Grand Tasting:

www.santafewineandchile.org