April 29 will mark the 15th year for Great Bend’s Charity Wine Tasting event, which raises money for Catholic Charities of Southwest Kansas. There will also be craft beers and spirits to taste.
This event will run from 6-10 p.m. that Friday at the Great Bend Events Center, 3111 10th St. Guests will start the evening with a Wine 101 session with wine expert Roger Fowler from Standard Beverage Corporation.
“The Wine 101 session will be a good basic introduction to wine,” said Fowler. “We’ll cover the growing, harvesting, fermentation and color of grapes, what causes wine to go bad, how to protect wines, how to taste wines, and how to cook with wines.” For those who want to know more, Fowler brings almost 30 years of experience in the wine tasting industry.
The tasting, which begins at 7 p.m., will include entertainment by classical guitarist Richard J Falcon Jr., hors d’oeuvres and food/wine pairings prepared by Stone Ridge Country Club, and a live and silent auction led by Master of Ceremonies Scott Donovan of Eagle Radio and Auctioneer, T.R. Esfeld.
Event coordinator Rebecca Ford said she’s excited about the Charity Wine Tasting’s new location at the Great Bend Events Center. “We sold out of tickets before the invitations even hit the mailboxes last year, so we knew we had to do something different. We are expecting about 400 guests this year from as far away as Dodge City, Salina and Hays.”
The Wine Tasting will showcase a nice array of wines that cover all of the major categories, from sweet to dry and everything in between, Ford said. Participants include Glazers, Rosewood Winery, Smoky Hill Winery, Standard Beverage, Western Beverage, Wheat State Distilling and Wyldewood Cellars. Professionals, including Adam Clary, an aged-whiskey specialist, will be on hand to answer questions.
Tickets for the 15th Annual Charity Wine Tasting Event are $50 per person or $450 for a table of 10. They are available at the Catholic Charities office at 2201 16th St. in Great Bend, by phone at 620-792-1393, or online at www.catholiccharitiesswks.org/wine-tasting-event/buy-tickets.

About Catholic Charities of Southwest Kansas
Catholic Charities of Southwest Kansas, a member of Catholic Charities USA and United Way, has provided services for people in need since 1965. The mission of the agency is to honor human potential through service, advocacy and invitation, in the spirit of the Gospel, so that every person can experience hope and fulfillment. With offices in Dodge City, Garden City and Great Bend, the agency provides adoption services, pregnancy and teen mom support, healthy marriage and relationship classes, counseling for addiction and mental health; fatherhood, employment, and housing support; economic assistance, and disaster relief throughout southwest Kansas.
Learn more online at www.CatholicCharitiesSWKS.org.