Experience wine and food at Swiftwater Cellars in Cle Elum.

Swiftwater Cellars is more than just a winery. Located within the beautiful Suncadia Resort in the heart of the Cascades, Swiftwater offers a wine experience unlike any other — a destination within a destination resort.

Surrounded by mountains, trees and fresh air, you can sip on the flagship Swiftwater Cellars Proprietary Red, an elegant Washington Bordeaux-style blend or a 100 percent Pinot Noir from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. For the more price-conscious, the No. 9 label offers everyday wines, such as red Bordeaux-based blend, Semillon and Pinot Noir.

You can experience this wine firsthand at the Wine in the Pines fourth annual wine and food festival, a weekend celebration that will feature more than 40 Northwest wineries, accompanied by tasty bites from regional chefs and festive live music.

The event will be co-hosted by Evan Goldstein, Master Sommelier and author of food-and-wine pairing cookbooks, and “Thirsty Girl” Leslie Sbrocco, wine expert on The Today Show and host of Check Please! on PBS.

The weekend kicks off at 6 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 26, with “Into the Swing of Swiftwater Cellars,” a seminar in which Swiftwater owners Don and Lori Watts will be joined by their winemakers, Tony Rynders and Linda Trotta, to share their favorite labels with guests. Chef Paul Cotta of The Hoist House will also be on hand to discuss “comfort food stations.”

On Saturday, Aug. 27, the celebrity duo will host “Classic & Crazy” wine and food pairings, a seminar with a unique approach to experiencing food. They’ll be joined by a special panel of winemakers to discuss wine pairing with dishes, each of which has been prepared by an elite Northwest chef.

At 7 p.m. on Saturday evening, two very special events will commence: The Winemaker’s Dinner, which gives guests the chance to visit with 10 of the Northwest’s hottest winemakers over a five-course dinner ($150 per person/$275 per couple); and Meet the Maker, a rotating table discussion in which a handful of guests can visit with their favorite winemakers for 20 minutes at a time — and then move on to the next ($65 per person/$115 per couple).

Selected wines for the seminar are Treveri Cellars Sparkling Wine, Kiona Vineyard 2010 Estate Dry Riesling, Chinook Wines 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, Swiftwater Cellars 2008 Pinot Noir, Hightower Cellars 2007 Merlot, EFESTE 2008 Ceidliegh Syrah, Woodward Canyon 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon — and a mystery wine.

Cheers!

Swiftwater Cellars| 301 Rope Rider Drive, Cle Elum, WA | (509) 674-6555