Raise Your Glass to Missoula Winery’s One Year Celebration

By RYAN NEWHOUSE

On Friday (May 27) the Missoula Winery and Events Center will celebrate its first year of business. The event will take place at the winery (5646 W. Harrier) and runs from noon to 6 p.m. The Missoula Winery is also billing their event as a “pre-show” to the Modest Mouse concert taking place later that day at Big Sky Brewing (tickets for this concert are sold out).

“We may even host an after-party to the Modest Mouse concert,” says Frenchie Leiritz, co-owner of the new Missoula Winery, “so check back after the show.”

However, the Missoula Winery and Events Center (MWEC) will have its own concert during their celebration featuring music from three outstanding Missoula musicians, Ron Dunbar, Marshall McLean and David Boone. The music will begin at 1:30 p.m. Tickets for the MWEC One Year Celebration are $10 each and admission includes a raffle ticket for fabulous door prizes and a free glass of sangria. The MWEC will have food and wine available for purchase, including grilled chicken, veggie burgers, brats and a selection of salads.

New Reserve wines from the Missoula Winery that will make an appearance are their 2010 Muscat, 2010 Mourvedre Rosé and a 2009 Pinot Noir. Of course, they should also have their fine regular wines on hand too, such as a 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, 2008 and 2009 Chardonnay and a 2007 and 2008 Syrah.

On non-special event days, the MWEC is open 2 – 7 p.m. Mon – Sat. (closed Wednesdays) and 2 – 5 p.m. on Sundays. You can call the MWEC for a current selection and prices of their wines at (406) 830-3296.

What I especially appreciate about the MWEC is that they offer a unique recycling/reusing program that takes back empty wine bottles from local restaurants, as well as accepts bottles from customers, for recycling or reuse at their winery. This was in response to the fact that Missoula currently has limited options for recycling glass.

If for some reason you can’t make it to the MWEC this Friday, you can check them out next Tuesday (May 31) for Missoula Downtown Association’s “Downtown on Tap” series from 5 – 7 p.m. This monthly meet-up sponsored by the MDA is a way for Missoula professionals and residents to socialize and explore our city’s quality drinking establishments.

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Ryan Newhouse has lived in Missoula since 2002 and has tipped his glass in most of the town’s establishments. He is a full-time writer, husband and parent (in no particular order) and a part-time zymurgist. He makes a mean hard cider and pairs his cocktails with dishes from his blog, Cooked Animals: Recipes for Wild Game.