What's Cookin': Drink Wine to Save Water

Coming up Tuesday is the second annual Seattle Hot Picks. Sponsored by Wine & Spirits Magazine, this event celebrates the June issue’s annual Critics’ Picks—the magazine’s favorite inexpensive wines from around the world. It also honors ten of Seattle’s best young sommeliers and wine experts (all under age 35), who work in area restaurants and wine shops.

The critics sampled more than 9,000 wines, paring the list to about 60 that you can try, stationed by category, in a fun and informal environment. Of course, you won’t want to taste those great wines on an empty stomach, so expect tasty appetizers from the invited restaurants: Beato, Canlis, Crush, Earth & Ocean, Harvest Vine, Herbfarm, How to Cook a Wolf, Monsoon, and Qube.

"It's a great place to learn about the proper progression of a wine tasting, and food and wine pairing," says Kristen Hager, Wine & Spirit’s Magazine’s marketing director. Best of all, proceeds will benefit the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, a Seattle-based non-profit with a mission to protect and preserve Puget Sound by tracking down and stopping the discharge of toxic pollutants into its waters. We’ll drink to that!

Tuesday, 6/24, 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. // Paramount Theatre // $75 (includes a one-year subscription to Wine & Spirits Magazine)