Calling All Wannabe Winos

Wine Riot

A famous, anonymous quote says “life is too short to drink bad wine.” Unfortunately, that happens all too often. The wine culture is growing, especially in the Millenial population; estimates show that the under-35 crowd makes up 23% of total wine consumption in the U.S. But what to drink?

With so many wines—and wineries—it’s hard to know what to order. To help Gen Y learn more about wine, Second Glass launched their annual Wine Riot event, coming to the Concourse Exhibition Center on August 3 and 4.

Wine Riot began in 2008 when friends Morgan First and Tyler Balliet joined forces to create an event dedicated to educate the young masses about wine. Their mission is simple: “We want you to drink more wine. Our goal is to give you the tools to find cool wine tastings, talk to experts, explore wine regions and constantly discover new favorites. You don’t have to use dorky wine-speak or spend a lot of time learning about wine to have fun with it.”

Wine Riot is a two-day event where attendees purchase all-you-can-drink admission for a four-hour block. In that time, visitors can sample any of the 250 wines available from various regions. (Obligatory words of wisdom: don’t try to break any records.) For $50 or $60, depending on the day, attendees receive a stemless wine glass that is their passport to the event. Wine experts are on hand for questions and lead 20-minute “crash courses” on various wine topics.

One of the coolest parts of the event is the Second Glass app, available for iOS and Android. The free app is a guide to Wine Riot, but most importantly, it offers a quick and easy way to actually remember what wines you like best. After all, the point is to take the information from Wine Riot and apply it to the next wine-shopping excursion.

Wine Riot will also feature music and lots of snacks for sale, plus a photo booth and temporary tattoos. Tickets are available online and they are actively looking for volunteers to help out before and during the event; volunteers will score a free ticket to a future Wine Riot event. To learn more about Second Glass and Wine Riot, check out their blog.

Wine Riot

August 3 and 4

Concourse Exhibition Center, 635 8th Street, San Francisco

Tickets: $60 Friday, $50 Saturday

 

Image courtesy of Second Glass on Facebook