CaseStudies-WineShow

Wine/Spirits Events


Varsity has worked for 10 years as the co-producer of Taste Washington, the annual consumer wine and food event for Visit Seattle and the Washington State Wine Commission. The event has blossomed to a four-day experience, for which Varsity oversees event production, operations and logistics for the Grand Tasting and The New Vintage. During Varsity’s tenure, attendance, sponsorship revenues and booth sales have all markedly increased, with the event now connecting over 230 wineries and 65 restaurants with more than 5,000 wine enthusiasts.

Varsity also produces Vintage Spokane, a summer wine and food festival in Spokane, Wash. Partnering with Spokane Youth Sports Association, Vintage Spokane highlights 60 Pacific Northwest wineries, a dozen Spokane eateries and several local sponsors and exhibitors.

In 2013, Varsity added PROOF, a Washington State Distilleries festival, to showcase the exciting spirits being created in Washington. Forty distilleries showcase their products along with samples from Seattle’s most exciting restaurants. PROOF is the Washington Distillers Guild’s flagship annual event.

For the past three years, Varsity has worked with the James Beard Foundation to produce local events as part of the James Beard Foundation’s Taste America Tour. Since 2014, Varsity has produced their Seattle event, including a cocktail reception featuring top local chefs and a gala dinner with a nationally recognized celebrity chef creating a gourmet dinner for 300 guests. In 2018, Varsity produced the Taste America events in Seattle and a Friends of James Beard event in Portland, Ore..

In addition to handling all vendor and sponsorship sales for these events, Varsity manages all event logistics, operations and on-site event management.

For more information, please contact:

Dick Stephens, President

[email protected]
(206) 484-5284