Kelly the Culinarian: 10 Tips for #WineRiot Newbies

Friday, May 8, 2015

10 Tips for #WineRiot Newbies

PS- Enter my Chicago #WineRiot ticket giveaway now

I'm gearing up for my third edition of Second Glass's Chicago #WineRiot and I've got this thing down to a science. My friend Ally asked me what she should know as a newbie, and as a veteran Rioter, here are my tried and true tips to rocking out Wine Riot.

  1. Hydrate. You don't want to be the sloppy/sick one. One bottle before you get there, cups and such mid-event and one bottle on the way home.
  2. DO NOT DRIVE. For the love of all things ever, make other arrangements. You're at Union Station, so I don't know, maybe take the train and get an uber from the station to your house. Carpool with a sober friend. Walk. Do anything other than get in a car.
  3. Pick a meeting spot. If you're going with friends, decide where you'll meet if you get lost. It's a closed off area and shouldn't be that difficult, but hey, stranger things have happened.
  4. Download the app. You can keep your tasting notes organized and research the vendors in advance.
  5. Pack a snack. There's food available for purchase and usually a cheese vendor or two, but pretzels are always a good idea when you're imbibing for three hours.
  6. Be on time. Trust me, three hours sounds like a long time. It isn't if you're chatting and having a good time.
  7. Evening sessions = dress up. I've only been during the afternoon, but I understand the evening sessions get a little more upscale and club-like. 
  8. Tag your photos with #WineRiot. There has always been an instagram printer that spits out photos tagged with the official hashtag. 
  9. Check out the photo booth. It's just fun and I get these shots every year. 
  10. Bring a roomy but hands-free purse. There is swag to be had in the form of wine bottle openers, sunglasses, stickers, wine corks, etc. But I don't want my hands full of crap when I'm trying to get my wine and networking on.

2 comments:

Losing Lindy said...

looks like so much fun

Unknown said...

I love the pink stripe dress you're wearing in the pic for this post. :D