WineInk: Wine geek heaven

We are still a couple of months away from the weekend of the 43rd Food & Wine Classic in Aspen (June 19-21), but the early-bird list of presenters and seminars is already on the Classic website. This gives wine geeks who relish the informative sessions a chance to make plans for attending seminars given by their favorite wine personalities. But be aware: The most popular presentations fill up fast. Snooze and you lose.

When attendees purchase a 2026 Consumer ($2,950) or Trade ($2,250 for those in the Hospitality Industry) Pass, they have the opportunity to sign up for five of the over 70 plus cooking demonstrations and wine and spirits seminars. That is a seat at each of the five seminar session periods at the Classic. And, as of this writing, there are still tickets to the Classic Weekend available on the website at classic.foodandwine.com/purchase-tickets.

Wine lovers have a variety of reasons for attending the Classic. For some, it’s just an excuse to come to Aspen in the summertime, and that is surely valid. For others, especially those in the hospitality business, it is a chance to connect with old friends at what is arguably the most prestigious culinary and wine event in the country. And then there are those who come to taste the prodigious selection of wines from close to 150 producers in the Grand Tasting Pavilion as well as, of course, attend the impromptu parties where great wines are poured.

But for wine geeks, it is the seminars hosted by many of the foremost authorities on wine in America that attract them to the Classic each year. A combination of entertainment and education, attendees inevitably learn something at each and every seminar. And they have a great time doing so.

This year will be no exception. The opening session on the Friday, June 19, at 10 a.m., for example, will feature separate seminars with the Classic’s favorite showman Mark Oldman (“Luxury in the Details: Tasting the Legends of Wine”), Frasca Food & Wine’s dynamic duo of Carlin Karr and Bobby Stuckey (“The Women Behind Italy’s Most Coveted Wines”) and a sure-to-be-popular and timely wine competition from Sabato Sagaria and Gary Obligacion (“The World Cup of Wine: Eight Countries Go for the Goooooaaaaaaaaaal!!!”). All three will surely sell out.

But beyond the big names and the long-time presenters, there are other wine seminar presenters who will bring outstanding wines and great content to the programs they host. Here are five wine seminars, one from each session in chronological order, that I’m looking forward to:

Let’s begin at the beginning — with the history. On Friday at 10 a.m. in the Limelight Hotel, Advanced Sommelier and Smithsonian’s National Wine Educator Erik Segelbaum will lead attendees in an immersive tasting of wines from one of the world’s oldest winemaking regions. His “Wines of Georgia Presents: 8,000 Years in 8 Glasses” seminar will offer eight curated glasses in a lineup of wines highlighting the diversity of Georgian wine styles, and the “8,000 plus years of unique winemaking traditions and customs that are closely intertwined with Georgian culture.” Know what a “qvevri” is? Ever tasted red wines made from the Saperavi grape or white wines from Rkatsiteli? Is an amber wine different from an orange wine? By 11 a.m., you’ll know the answers to these questions and more as Segelbaum, a former Food & Wine Magazine Sommelier of the Year, delivers information in his rapid-fire style.

Next, on Friday, at 3 p.m., magic will happen in The Little Nell Tasting tent No. 1 at a seminar that brings together two long-time friends and Aspen favorites. Storytelling sommelier Anthony Giglio and cheese authority Cheese Lady Laura Werlin will pair for a seminar titled “Wisconsin Cheese Presents: Curds and Corks — A Toast to Terroir and Tradition.” There is nothing better than cheese and wine, and no one knows how to bring the best from both worlds better than Werlin and Giglio. Attendees will also not only get tips on pairings, but will also get to watch a pair of pros doing what they do best, presenting at the Food & Wine Classic.

Saturday morning at 10 a.m. brings a seminar to The Little Nell tent No. 1 that features the hottest new wine for the cool kids. “Chenin Blanc Rising: America’s New Favorite White Wine” will be explored and explained by June Rodil and Alicia Towns Franken. The Houston-based Rodil is a 2026 Semi Finalist for the James Beard Awards as “Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service” and will be coming to Aspen just a few days after the Beard winners are announced in Chicago. Master Sommelier, culinary entrepreneur and activist (She serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Southern Smoke Foundation and is a Chef Corps member for World Central Kitchen) Rodil is a multi-faceted player in the American culinary community. For her part, the Boston-based Franken is executive director for Wine Unify, a platform launched to create a more inclusive wine industry. She is also the co-founder of Towns Wine Co., which partners with women winemakers of color and reinvests profits back into those partnerships. Her work centers on community, equity and the belief that the wine industry is stronger when more voices are included. This is a seminar I’d go to even if there were no wines being poured.

Saturday afternoon, it will be time to go to the mountains with wine professional Wanda Mann as she presents “Ain’t No Vineyard High Enough: Majestic Mountain Wines” down by the Roaring Fork in River Tent No. 1. This seminar will take tasters from the Argentine Andes to Napa’s Mayacamas Mountains and beyond as it explores in detail the effect that altitude and mountainous soils have on wines. It is an appropriate topic for a seminar in the Rockies.

To close it out, the final session on Sunday morning (Father’s Day, by the way) at 10 a.m. will see Executive Director of Beverage and a partner at Gracious Hospitality Management Victoria James, and Chef SK (Seung Kyu) Kim from the oh-so-hot COQODAQ in NYC, make a classic debut with “Bubble & Crunch: A Champagne & Fried Chicken Marriage Made in Heaven.” This will be all about the beauty of Champagne paired with the crispy goodness of COQODAQ’s signature fried chicken nuggets.

There is plenty to geek out on at this year’s Classic.