Wine Spectator’s Grand Tour is set to roll into the Sheraton Denver Downtown on Saturday, April 18, turning a hotel ballroom into a global tasting room for one night only. The walk‑around event will feature more than 200 wines, each rated 90 points or higher by Wine Spectator’s editors, giving collectors, sommeliers and curious drinkers a rare chance to sample older vintages and hard‑to‑find bottles under one roof.
VIP guests get first crack at the pours with an extra hour that starts at 6 p.m. General admission runs from 7 to 9:30 p.m. and includes a Riedel tasting glass and a tasting book. According to Wine Spectator, VIP tickets are $395, general admission is $250 and the Young Connoisseur ticket for guests 30 and under is $100. The event page also lists the Sheraton Denver Downtown as the host venue and lays out refund rules and age restrictions for anyone planning to attend.
What to Expect at the Grand Tour
Organizers are filling the room to the brim. Local reporting pegs the number at roughly 230 wineries pouring in Denver this year, with Italy sending the largest delegation at about 80 producers and the United States close behind at around 66. The tasting is designed to flow from sparkling wines and lighter whites into fuller-bodied reds and dessert wines, so guests can compare regions side by side without zigzagging across the globe. Buying a single bottle of every wine on offer would add up to roughly $23,000 in retail value, according to Westword.
Why Denver?
Wine Spectator’s team says the Grand Tour is built to bring high-scoring wines to cities with serious food scenes that do not always see big-ticket wine events, and Denver checked those boxes. “We’re trying to get to other regional markets and engage with the wine lovers there who want a chance to taste all these great wines,” senior editor Alison Napjus told Westword. The publication also points to Denver’s growing lineup of award-winning wine lists and its relatively young demographic as key reasons the city landed on the 2026 itinerary.
Local Plates and Who’s Pouring
The event page for Wine Spectator’s Grand Tour puts two Denver Restaurant Award winners in the spotlight, Guard and Grace and Nocturne, both of which will serve small plates during the tasting. Guests can also download a floor plan to plot a path through the room in advance. The site confirms the Sheraton Denver Downtown as host and highlights a 200-plus wine lineup that spans major regions including Italy, France, Spain and the United States. For collectors and trade professionals, it is a rare one-stop opportunity to taste vintages and producers that can be tough to track down in the local market.
Veteran tasters recommend showing up with a short list of regions or producers you most want to explore, wearing comfortable shoes and pacing yourself with plenty of water and small bites so you actually remember your favorites the next day. If you plan to take full advantage of the pours, line up a designated driver or a rideshare, since organizers are clear about encouraging responsible drinking. Tickets and full event details are available through the Grand Tour site and participating wineries.
