A casino heavy hitter, at 20

Wine & Food Fest marks 20 years 

What can you say about Mohegan's Sun Wine & Food Fest and its 20th edition? It's massive in scope and a microcosm of American entertainment. It's fun but it's dangerous if you overdo it. It's a good way to sample various vino brands and spirits but its events can be pricey, especially when Ticketmaster is involved (I am not a fan of ticket agencies. Try to get tix at the Mohegan Box Office.)

So with several wine fests under my belt, here's a primer for what fans know is a top-shelf event for this famous casino resort during winter's gray days:

There are 20 events over four days, from Jan. 25 through Feb. 28 but the two Grand Tastings (a preview Friday night and premier event Saturday) are the most accessible.

When Wine Fest first arrived two decades ago, it was a fast success and impressive -- held in one of the resort's large ballrooms. But in recent years it was moved to the gigantic Earth Expo & Convention Center, so there is plenty of room to walk and fewer jammed spaces to rub elbows with (and swap germs with) gal pals, 20something bros, moneyed middle-age couples and seniors taking a break from the slot machines.

    Celebrity chef Robert Irvine at a previous Wine & Food Fest at Mohegan.

There are celebrity chefs to see (Aaron Sanchez is a regular, as is Robert Irvine), celebs with a booze label (Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul this year), celebs with a prison record (Martha Stewart; OK, that's a cheap shot) and food bites to be had between sips.

You can even stick to nonalcoholic brews, such as the wonderfully successful Athletic variety (I have a subscription plan), but the main tastings for most patrons are generally a fun hodgepodge of various alcohol-based drinks (even the boring spiked seltzers), beers, new products, spirits, hard ciders and a large entertainment stage at one end where chefs demonstrate their skills.

A year or so back, it seemed that wine itself was being crowded out by other products at the event's variety of samples. But there's a good amount of vino, too, of course.

For those who can exercise moderation, it's a "happening" stroll in a colorful place on a cold winter weekend, including two years ago when it snowed heavily the night before but still drew a crowd.

A year before that, it was the last Wine Fest I saw my friend and liquor salesman Steve, who had cheerfully worked the event for many years. On that Saturday night, he also had ridden the bull at Comix Roadhouse after urging by a younger colleague of his. (He had them set the bull speed to 'Slow' but it typically ended in a funny fall.)

We were sitting on a bench after the Dine Around event in one of the casino public areas near the Roadhouse, just people watching, when he spotted the same colleague heading to an event at novelle restaurant/night club. I chuckled as he headed after her, to join the party. My old friend died suddenly a month later of a heart attack. So the laughs are a wistful echo now, but I still smile about it all.

There are several fond memories and opportunities for new ones at such events. And wine aficionados can also chat up knowledgeable sales folk and even some winery owners and reps. I enjoyed asking company reps at the elite-wine event Vintage Cru what one bottle retails for in stores. Answers range from $49 to $249, I recall, as I worked hard to rein in a spit-take of the fancy wine.

Here's a list of this year's events, some of which are sold out as we approach the 20th anniversary SWFF, with current, with (somewhat elevated) Ticketmaster prices as of Jan. 4. You might want to look for tickets earlier next year, we would advise:

5 p.m. Thursday the 25th. Tao Dim Sum event at TAO Asian Bistro & Lounge. ($207)

7 p.m. Thursday. The Todd English Experience, an English-hosted dinner event. ($180)

8-10 p.m. Thursday. Sun Patio Ice Bar Experience at the Sun Patio. ($98)

8-9:30 p.m. Thursday. Barrels of Beam Featuring Laphroaig Tasting at the Clay Pipe Cigar Bar ($125)

10 p.m. Thursday. Litchfield Distillery Farm to Table at Aquai pop-up bar. ($125)

5 and 5:15 p.m. Friday. Tao Whisky Dinner at TAO Asian Bistro & Lounge. ($342)

6-9 p.m. Friday.  Beam Suntory Presents: Whiskeys of the World at the Earth Ballroom ($125)

7-10 p.m. Friday. Grand Tasting Preview at the Earth Expo & Convention Center. ($125)

9-11 p.m. Friday. A Spirits and Cigars program at Clay Pipe. Sold out

10 p.m.-midnight Friday. Toast with the Host featuring Loverboy Sparkling Hard Tea at novelle ($71)

noon-5 p.m. Saturday. Grand Tasting at  Earth Expo & Convention Center. ($177)

4-6 p.m. Saturday. Exclusive Antique Collection Tasting at Clay Pipe. ($547)

4-6 p.m. Saturday. Vintage Cru elite-wines collection tasting. ($179)

6-8 p.m. Saturday. Exclusive Pappy Van Winkle Tasting at Clay Pipe ($548)

7-9 p.m. Saturday. Dos Hombres Mezcal featuring Bryan Cranston & Aaron Paul at novelle. Sold out.

8-10:30 p.m. Saturday  Celebrity Chef Dine Around (and after-party). Sold out.

11 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday.  Brunch with Martha Stewart & Friends at Uncas Ballroom. ($125)

A Vintage Cru event as part of the 2018 Wine & Food Fest.