A couple times a year Youngs Market holds a huge wine tasting event for restaurants, bars and retailers. This one was held in downtown LA at the beautiful JW Marriott. My husband, Wade, recently took over the wine program at The Prospector and we were on the hunt for an inexpensive yet delicious Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio (2 of my faves) so I was more then happy to go along as a taste tester!

This is what a tasting convention looks like…a bunch of drunk wine nerds!

I was excited to see the Barrymore Pinot Grigio (Delle Venezie, Itally I.G.T.)  I had read about it, but never had the chance to taste it until now. I have always been a Drew fan and love that she created this wine in honor of her family (too bad she wasn’t there!!).  Studio Number One, founded by Shepard Fairey  the LA based street artist, used the Barrymore family crest for the label design. This wine was inspired by Drew’s travels through Italy and a portion of the proceeds go to charity. I love the idea of Barrymore Pinot Grigio and it was good but not mind blowing.

The fun people at Piper-Heidsieck Champagne were handing out these masks. You know me, I never pass up an opportunity to be silly and play dress up!

We had a fun afternoon, learned a lot about different winemakers, found what we wanted for The Prospector, had some delicious cheese and salami and ran into some wino friends. Sign me up for the next one!