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Chetola Resort Hosts Wine Dinners, Corkscrew 5K, Murder Mystery and More for Blue Ridge Wine and Food Festival

by Madison V. Fisler

Girls having fun

April 3, 2014. Blowing Rock is preparing for the Blue Ridge Wine and Food Festival. Chetola Resort in downtown Blowing Rock is pleased to be offering a plethora of fun and exciting events to add to the agenda. 

This year, Chetola Resort will be hosting two wine dinners, the annual Corkscrew 5K Race, a Musical Murder Mystery and cooking classes for the wine lovers attending the annual festival. 

“We are certainly hosting more events than last year, and it feels like its more than any other year,” said Allison West of Chetola Resort. 

First up, Chetola Resort will host two wine dinners featuring different wines each night.

“Each night we have a different winery involved,” West said. “On Friday night we will have Childress Vineyards and on Saturday we will host Victus World Imports.”

Each night, guests will have a chance to enjoy different specials already specifically paired with wines. Each special has its own price that includes the entree, appetizer, dessert and the wine that is paired with each course. 

Dinner is served from 5-9:30 p.m. on each night, and servers are more than happy to help guests pair the special wines with other dishes as well. 

Reservations can be made by calling Timberlake’s Restaurant at 828-295-5505.

For the first time, Chetola Resort will host a musical murder mystery, Resort to Murder on Saturday, April 12 in the Evergreen Room put on by Ensemble Stage. Featuring the wines of Childress Vineyards, the musical murder mystery begins at 10 p.m.

“They created the plot to make it specific to Chetola,” West said. “This is a musical murder mystery for adults only. It will feature Childress wines with bottomless dessert trays, with each course paired with a special Childress wine.”

Tickets for the show are $45 per person and include three wine tastings (one for each intermission), bottomless three course dinner trays and the show. There will also be a cash bar as well as a coffee and espresso station featuring Bald Guy Brew. To purchase tickets to Resort to Murder, click here

For the athletic wine-lovers among us, Chetola Resort will once again host the Corkscrew 5k. This annual race has become a local favorite, with both wine-free and wine lover divisions. 

“This event is so much fun,” West said. “We didn’t know how well it would go over last year, but most people chose the wine-lovers division!”

Starting at 8:30 a.m., participants will start running (or strolling) along the scenic route around Chetola, with the wine lovers stopping at the wine stations along the way for small tastings. 

The top finishers in the race are up for some fabulous prizes like tickets for the Grand Tasting event, free tickets to area attractions and gift cards to local restaurants. 

“We have great prizes, but it’s not about finishing for the prizes,” West said. “It’s really a lot of fun. We are expecting the number of participants to double from last year. And it starts at 8:30 a.m., which leaves more time to enjoy the rest of the festival that day!”

For registration information, click here.

And for the food lovers, Chetola Resort will once again offer a cooking class.

“This year, the cooking class is titled ‘Southern Gourmet’ and the chef really wants to focus on southern-inspired courses with a modern twist,” said West.

Each dish will be paired with a different Childress wine, and will provide an interactive experience for participants.

Tickets can be purchased for $30 per person at the Chetola Resort front desk or from the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce. The classes will take place in Timberlake’s Restaurant from 2-3 p.m. on Friday, April 11. 

“We are so thrilled to be hosting so many events,” said West. “We have had tremendous participation already, and we are expecting some big crowds!”

For more information about these events and more at Chetola Resort, click here or call 828-295-5500.

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Girls with Wine