From Pinot Grigio to Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon to Merlot, there are hundreds of varieties out there that will make your head swoon and your tummy warm.

However, understanding wine doesn’t have to be difficult if you’re willing to put the time and effort into research, and the best place to start is the 11th annual Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival.

The sinful pleasures of fine wine and great food are explored for three days in October when the festival serves up the largest and most delectable wine tasting event the city has ever seen. This year’s feast for the senses features 170 food, wine and spirit exhibitor booths.

In fact, there is so much variety, festival director Cathy Miller says it’s near impossible to walk away having sampled everything the event has to offer.

“I suggest people plan a theme, especially with the wine like (sampling only) whites or reds, maybe something they’ve never had before,” she says. At any rate, “there’s no way you can taste everything and you’ve got to come hungry.”

Of the 170 exhibitors confirmed at this year’s October festival, 45 are serving up gourmet food samples from some of the city’s tastiest and trendiest restaurants and hotels. Some of the food exhibitors returning this year include BLVD, Cravings Market Restaurant, Fiasco Gelato, Sahara, Ruan Thai, Belgo, Taj Mahal, and Kinjo Sushi. Newcomers include JAROblue, Sky 360 Restaurant, and Fresh Kitchen.

“The food is a huge focus for the festival,” says Miller. “We try to make sure there’s something for everyone to enjoy. The food booths are lined up all night long.”

Busy isn’t the word to describe last year’s event, says Lambros Tsaprailis. Co-owner of BLVD, which participated in the festival for the first time in 2007, he says his staff and chefs were so busy serving up samples of caramel prawns and Zatara Alberta lamb that the restaurant’s booth enjoyed some of the highest food sales at the festival. 

“The one thing you don’t want to do is run out of food,” he laughs. To be careful, his chefs try to anticipate the demand by breaking numbers down based on the festival’s expected attendance per night.

Introducing a new menu every season, Tsaprailis is tight-lipped about exactly what BLVD’s latest creations will be, but assures the public at large will get a chance to sample it at this year’s festival when it serves up mini-entrees. 

“This is such a great event for the Calgary hospitality industry. It showcases the variety of cuisine and spirits offered in the Calgary marketplace,” he says.

When the Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival was introduced more than a decade ago it featured 40 exhibitors over three days. Since then the festival has grown more than four times in size and has expanded to include events in Edmonton, Red Deer and Banff.

Taking place over three nights, Miller says between 16,000 and 17,000 people are expected to walk through the doors of Calgary’s Round Up Centre to sample the hundreds of food, wines, and premium spirits such as scotch, tequila, rum and vodka available.

“People are really interested in (sampling) the premium products or they want to taste wines that are $25 or $30 before they go ahead and buy them,” she says.

Most of the wines being sampled can be purchased at an on-site liquor store. As for the spirits, Miller says the agencies on display can tell people where in Calgary they can find most of the products.

Originally based in Calgary, the festival expanded seven years ago when it hosted the event for the first time in Edmonton. It has since added Red Deer and Banff to the circuit.

In April Red Deer’s festival attracted 3,000 people and another 1,800 during Banff’s inaugural event in May. Miller says she expects 10,000 people to enjoy Edmonton’s event Oct. 22 to 25.