Green Mountain Toast: Killington Wine Festival

Winter warriors may think of Killington, Vermont as the “Beast of the East” due to its reputation for the biggest mountain skiing and snowboarding this side of Colorado. However, with summer, Killington’s features soften like the Vermont hills to deep hues of green and a quieter atmosphere perfectly conducive to enjoying the 10th annual Killington Wine Festival.

The Festival weekend, July 22-24,  includes a Friday evening Estate Wine Tasting, Saturday’s always popular under-the-tent Grand Tasting which pairs wine with hors d’oeuvres and chocolates,  to a slower-paced finish on Sunday for the ”Wine and Nine” golf event.

In between  delicious wine and food, Killington offers plenty to do for the extreme athlete  to the “I’d rather relax with a glass in the lawn chair” crowd. For the latter, the K-1 gondola offers visitors rides to the top of Killington Peak  (4,000+ feet) and an easy walk around to see big views all the way to Mt. Washington in New Hampshire.

Some 60 estate and reserve wines are offered for sampling at the Killington Wine Festival with Vermont artisan crafted cheeses and products as appetizing sides.

Lodging opportunities include The Killington Grand Hotel, the flagship conference center for the event. Killington is about  three hours by car from Boston, four hours from New York City and about an hour and a half from Burlington.