The 40th Annual Cheese and Wine Exposition is slated for Saturday, Oct. 8 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 9 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. bringing food, fun, live music, and of course a variety of cheese, wines and craft beer to downtown Riverbank.
There will be over 100 vendors on hand with arts, crafts, and specialty items along with food vendors spanned across a few blocks in the downtown area and the admission is free.
Wine Tastings will be held at the Riverbank Masonic Lodge again this year and there will be a variety of craft beers for tasting like Lagunitas Brewery, Drake’s Brewery, Van Ruiten Winery, and Bronco Wineries along with a handful of others that will soon be announced.
There will be four stages with live music and festivities including the Hispanic Heritage Stage, a rock ‘n roll stage, an area for youth bands, and an acoustic folk artist in the wine tasting area.
Both days of wine tasting sold out last year so staff advises to purchase your tickets early, which will be $20 in advance and, if available, $30 at the door.
There will be wines paired with cheese from local farms like Fiscalini Farms and new to the festival this year is a Cheese zone serving up fried cheese curds and Teppanyaki cheesecake.
Another new addition to the festival this year is the OctoberFest area that will feature German beer, German food, and a sing-a-long.
The carnival will be an option for the youngsters and there will be a skateboarding demonstration on Sunday again this year as well.
The collectible wine glass commemorating the 40th annual Exposition will be on sale at the Parks and Recreation office the first week of October.
“We are looking forward to a few new ideas that Chris Ricci Presents, Inc. is working on,” stated Sue Fitzpatrick, Director of Parks and Recreation. “The skate competition will occur again with a lot of give-a-ways and excitement on Sunday. The Hispanic Heritage area will be popular with the dancing horses this year again.”
For more information and to purchase wine tasting tickets visit www.riverbankcheeseandwine.org or stop by the office at 6707 Third St., Riverbank.
