Taste of Vail

Convening a crowd of the hungry and thirsty to eat and imbibe amid stunning scenery is not a new concept, but with the Taste of Vail the eponymous resort town attains its own niche with a blend of fun, sophistication and culinary alpenglow.

The event, held in and around the storybook streets of Vail Village, features tastes of signature dishes from around 30 of the town's best restaurants, wine tastings from dozens of national vineyards, interactive cooking seminars, and the Colorado Lamb Cook-off. It is one of the only food and wine festivals in the USA to require that each wine to be personally poured by the vintner or winery owner, allowing attendees to distill expertise direct from the source.

The theme of this year's Taste, which runs April 2-5, is rose wine, and the kick-off event April 2 is a three-hour tasting showcasing more than 100 roses from around the world, paired with local cuisine (fret not, pinot fans: The full suite of varietals will be on offer throughout the Taste). Renowned wine expert wine Josh Wesson, co-founder of the New York City wine shop Best Cellars, will MC the rose tasting.

On Day 2, the thin air of Vail Valley fills with the pungency of the lamb cook-off, with more than two dozen chefs burnishing their innovative takes on Colorado ungulates as guests wander from booth to booth teasing their palates – with, of course, wine pairings. In 2013, Executive Chef Paul Anders of the venerable Sweet Basil took first prize for his slow roasted leg of lamb with preserved lemon labneh, dried olives, lamb cracklins and pickled ramps.

Day 3 takes the festivities to new heights – a hand-built snow arena two-thirds of the way up Vail mountain, at 10,350 feet above sea level, where chefs prepare an all-you-can-eat gourmet picnic. The site is accessible on skis, or via the Eagle Bahn gondola.

The timing of the Taste of Vail is not accidental, in line with the longest and (usually) warmest days of the ski season, and off the peak of tourist season, affording visitors some breathing room when floating among the events or skating through non-existent lift lines.

Chefs tend to wait until the event, or just prior, to announce which dishes and recipes they will feature. Among the hits last year: Escargot in sauce persille', French Helix snails cooked in parsley sauce, from La Tour Restaurant; Skuna Bay salmon desgustation, from Hooked; herb gnocchi with lobster, maitake mushrooms, sea urchin butter and orange foam, from Atwater on Gore Creek; and potato crusted trout filets with haricots verts and heirloom cherry tomatoes, from former Top Chef star Kelly Liken.

The Taste of Vail wraps up with a Grand Tasting, billed as a showcase for the chefs' most creative fare and the wineries' best products. Coming on the heels of three days of sumptuous indulgence, those superlatives might be a stretch. Then again, for an event that seems to outdo itself every year, anything is possible. And there's only one way to find out.