With more than 400 bottles from 11 different wineries, the 2016 People's Choice Show-Me Wine Competition is ready to start next week.
The event, hosted by the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce's Young Professionals, is set for 5-10 p.m. Wednesday at the Millbottom, 400 W. Main St. It will feature a wine tasting, along with heavy hors d'oeuvres provided by Sodexo and live music from the Cherry Pistols after the tasting.
Lindsey Forck, an organizer with the event, said they plan to have 35 different types of wine from all over the state to help promote Missouri wines.
"We have quite a bit of wine," Forck said. "It's going to be a blast."
Forck said the menu had not been set as of Tuesday, but Sodexo puts together creative and unique hors d'oeuvres that pair well with the wine selection.
Proceeds from the event will go to benefit both the chamber and the Buddy Pack program, which is run through the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri. Buddy Packs are filled with kid-friendly, nutritious food that students take home over the weekend or holiday periods to supplement their meals when there is not enough for them to eat at home.
Forck said the wine-tasting event originally started as a leadership event through the chamber, but the Young Professionals took it over last year through their service committee, attracting about 250 attendees and raising between $3,000 and $4,000 for Big Brothers, Big Sisters.
This year, Forck said, they've already sold about 275 tickets.
Tickets are available for $25 each or six tickets for $125 and can be purchased either through the chamber's website or by contacting Forck at [email protected]. Tickets also will be available at the door of the event for $30 each.