Atlantis’ Food & Beverage team can add another successful event to its list following the recent Swirl Series 2013 primer. With over fifty guests in attendance, the wine tasting series is poised to become both a permanent fixture on the Food & Beverage event calendar, and a highly anticipated local and international event.
Held on the verandah outside Virgil’s Restaurant, overlooking Paradise Lagoon, and with the Royal Towers as the back drop, guests enjoyed the taste of Chateau Ste Michelle brand, under the patronage of Alan K. Portney, a brand representative. Chateau Ste Michelle and its sister brand Two Vines are emerging wines from Washington State, heralded for combining “old world and new world wine tastes.” According to Portney, this perfect combination is due to the unique climate in which the grapes are grown. Along with all of the wines Atlantis carries under the Chateau Ste Michelle brand, guests had the privilege of enjoying Virgil’s famous smoked wings, potentially inspiring them to return not only for the wine, but for the food, a plus for Virgil’s.
After recognizing the opportunity to attract more guests to various food outlets by bringing in highly regarded wine experts who could offer their products in a beautiful venue, the Swirl Wine Tasting series was first introduced in the summer of 2012.
“The Swirl series gives guests another avenue to enjoy themselves while on property. Wine lovers are able to get great value for cost in that they are learning from the wine-seller, while tasting great wines, and enjoying great food. Because we bring in wines from all over the world, they are also travelling the world when enjoying the experience with us. I’m looking forward to what’s going to happen next,” said Sr. Director of Beverage Sean Cartwright.
Wine festivals are held all over the world and the U.S. Travel Association estimates that 17%, or 27.3 million travelers, have engaged in “culinary or wine-related activities while traveling.” The Swirl series offers Atlantis the opportunity to tap into those 27.3 million travelers at a time when expanding our tourism market is critical. Hotel guest Kenneth Macalpine confirmed that the Swirl series has the potential to do just that, when he told event organizers that Swirl had encouraged him to travel from Canada in order to enjoy the event and the Atlantis property. Macalpine added that he would definitely love to know when other Swirl events would be happening in order to return.
The next Swirl event will be held on March 7th and organizers are expecting an even bigger turn out. That series will feature various Kendall-Jackson brands including Kendall-Jackson Vintners Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, Paco & Lola Albarino, Byron Santa Maria Valley Chardonnay, La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, Arrowood Late Harvest Alexander Valley Riesling, Byron Santa Maria Pinot Noir, Murphy-Goode Liars Dice Zinfandel, Freemark Abbey Napa Valley Merlot, Kendall-Jackson Vintners Reserve Cabernet, and Chateau Lassegue.
Source: Eric Hall, Atlantis
Caption: Atlantis Food and Beverage Swirl Team with Alan Portney, Chateau Ste Michelle Brand Representative
