The Park City Food and Wine Classic is back. It’s hard to imagine that this humble festival is now in its eleventh straight year and attracts thousands of oenophiles and foodies.

 

This July, more than two dozen food and wine tastings, seminars, bike rides, hike excursions and dining events will be led by world-renowned experts in Park City’s famous Wasatch Mountains.

“This event blends the absolute best of Park City: outstanding food and drinks, and world-class outdoors,” said Jason Ornstein, owner of Team Player Productions, which organizes the Food & Wine Classic. “There are experiences for every sense — taste, smell, sight, touch. I can’t think of a better way to spend a long summer weekend.”

The weekend runs from July 9 to July 12, opening with classic-favorite bike rides, stand-up paddle-boarding and wine tastings — plus newcomers featuring yoga and a trip to the shooting range. It features the famed “Hair of the Dog” bike ride, plus sumptuous “Brunch Brunch Baby” and “It’s a Mary Morning” brunches.

In between, learn wine-tasting secrets from Master Sommeliers, taste whiskeys from Park City’s award-winning High West distillery, dig into a “Bacon & Barrels” meat-and-red-wine luncheon, and take dashes through the woods, rides on horseback, mountain-biking trips on Park City’s famous single-track trails, and much more.

“We’ve got all the makings of a truly memorable weekend,” Ornstein said. “Whether you love active get-up-and-go vacations or complete and total relaxation — or even a bit of both — our seminars and their leaders will make sure you have the experience of a lifetime.”

Just make sure you pack and plan for weather. You never know when it’s going to rain, snow or whip up wind when you’re in the mountains. You’ll still enjoy every minute of your meal and event but it might cause long delays like it did when I tried the Gallop and Grill lunch at the Waldorf last year so try not to plan back to back events.

Ticket prices range from $50 for the “Blues & Brunch” — combining live local music with a mouthwatering southern-style brunch buffet — to $225 for “Guns N Roses,” a backcountry Ranger tour of clay shooting, followed by a delicious outdoor lunch at Victory Ranch. The locals favorite is the Stroll of Park City. Bring your sneakers and call Uber. You won’t be driving anywhere after this ‘classic’ event.

Proceeds from Park City Food and Wine Classic ticket sales benefit the People’s Health Clinic, a nonprofit that provides healthcare for uninsured individuals and families in Utah’s Summit and Wasatch counties. Last year, the Classic raised more than $30,000 for the clinic. In all, Team Player Productions has raised more than $1.4 million for local charities.