On Friday night, I went to Swirl with your Girls at Columbia Winery. A friend of mine, Kim Brunskill, is a member of their wine club and was able to score the tickets. Not knowing what to expect, I made sure to where my gold glitter “barbie” shoes (platform stillettos), downplayed by black jeans and dressy shirt. That way, I wouldn’t look too overdone, just in case it was a casual event.
I arrived a little bit early, not usual for me and was very surprised to see a long line to the entrance. Apparently, this was a very popular event and I quickly found out why. The event not only included a tasting flight, but also appitizers and shopping opportunities.
When we signed in, we received a wine glass, small bag of beads and a program.
There were 8 wines to taste:
- 2010 Viognier
- 2010 Opal, Stone Cutter Series,
- 2010 Rosé of Syrah
- 2009 Sangiovese, Red Willow Vineyard
- 2010 Barbera, Small Lot Series
- 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Willow Vineyard
- 2006 Syrah, Red Willow Vineyard
- 2010 Covey Run Reserve Moscato
Each guest was given 8 beads (one for each taste) that you gave to the host as you worked your way through the tasting menu. I tried 4 of the 8: the Viognier, Rosé of Syrah, Syrah and the Opal. I paired the Opal with a pink champagne cupcake – quite delicious.
Aside from the wine, there were also appetizers, vendors and a raffle. The vendors included everything from jewelry (most notably Stella & Dot), manicures (from InSpa), clothing, a DJ, photo booth and even massage. After I had a few tastings under my belt, I loosened up my purse strings and purchased a hat for myself, a cute blingy headband for my daughter and some skin products (from Perfectly Posh).
The Cellar Club @ Columbia Winery was also giving away prizes for the best dressed group and many ladies and their groups of friends came dressed to impress, everything from little black dresses to Mardi Gras masks and beads.
Towards the end of the evening they drew the winners of the raffle and amazingly enough, I won some free flatbread from Columbia Winery. I never win at these kinds of things, so I was pretty impressed by my flatbread.
It was such a fun night and it was really great to see all of these women out enjoying themselves. I really thought this was not only a great way for the winery to open themselves to a whole market opportunity, but also a great opportunity for the participating vendors. This event was enough to make me seriously think about joining the Columbia Winery wine club.
A few crowd shots:
The Splendid Grape 
We are so glad you had a good time! Swirl With Your Girls is one of our favorite events too. We love the opportunity to show our club members how much we appreciate them! Look for another Swirl in October!