Winesdays at Whole Foods

A few weeks ago, I was scrolling through my Facebook news feed (per usual) and came across a giveaway from one of our local Whole Foods locations for two tickets to a concert. So I entered, of course (since I love free things), and later that day I got a message from their marketing team leader, Katie, saying that I WON! Crazy town. We had a great time at the concert, and a few days later, I got another message from Katie saying that she'd found my blog, really liked it, and wondered if I would be interested in covering an event they have on a weekly basis called "Winesdays." Umm, yes? So a friend and I went last week and I'm back to report on it!

{Whole Foods}

Winesdays (short for wine Wednesdays) is an event that happens weekly at many Whole Foods locations across the country. The basic idea is that you get five (generous) sips of wine that are each paired with five small plates of food for only $5. Yes, $5 y'all! It's a fantastic deal - I'd even call it a light dinner. My friend and I had a blast tasting the variety of food and wine pairings, and chatting with the different servers at each station. They're super friendly and eager to talk about what they've got on tap that night (punny!).

You start by "checking in" at one of the registers where you pay your $5 and they give you a glass (you get to keep it) and a menu with the wine and food pairings. Here's a look at our menu for the night:

Then you wander around to each of the five stations that are located all around the store, checking them off as you go. It sort of feels like a progressive dinner with a different "course" at each station. Be sure to take it slow though, not only because it's more fun that way, but also because they give generous pours of wine - drink slowly! By the end, you've basically had the equivalent of two glasses and if you're like me, you started on an empty stomach :).

Of course I had to take a photo at one of the stations, but man! so much awkwardness in this one...

All in all, we had a blast. My favorite wines out of the five were the Aveleda White from Portugal and the Begala Valpolicella Red from Italy. And I loved the veggie vegan rice delight from station one as well. So delicious (and vegan food usually scares me off!). They prepare all of the food items in-house using ingredients you can buy in the store. I think I'm going to try making that vegan dish for dinner one night soon.

I'm definitely planning to make another trip to Winesdays in the near future! Who's in? Check with your local Whole Foods and see if they do this event there - it's definitely a fun after-work activity for the middle of the week!

Many thanks to Whole Foods and Katie for inviting me cover this event. While they did provide two complimentary "tickets" for me and a friend, they did not otherwise compensate me or provide other incentives to write this review. The opinions are all mine!