Grape Escape Calgary Co-Op

Okay, admittedly it’s my favourite event because of all that wonderful liquor! And the atmosphere is friendly, you can actually talk to friends you haven’t met yet as you move around.
But I listen to folks who have things to say and my group of folks are very verbal this year, so I am their voice, and suffice ti to say our group now has outgrown the Cab van, we now need two cabs to get to and from!
This year the price went up. $ 65.00 per person came with a coupon book, Food Trucks and much more space. Okay, I get the coupons. It was a way of figuring out what everyone liked. I liked the food trucks a lot! I loved that the gelato was still there and the cheese. I especially liked the fact the food trucks were against the wall where they didn’t have huge line ups. I didn’t like carrying yet another thing! Those coupon books were a pain but I would rather have a card on a lanyard that was a bit harder to misplace!
And here’s where I take umbrage. Anyone who does a tasting of any kind, please don’t charge for a second bottle of water! Especially when the entry price went up 30%! If the Coffee Folks didn’t charge, there should be no water charge!
In fact, the only thing people wanted to buy was another little tray like mine that held my wine and appies. I bought mine at a little store in Canmore and used it every event.
In previous years, Co-​Op gave them away but if a person were to buy their own they are available at Crate And Barrel I’m told and online. And they are great for parties, too!
Getting the books with the maps out earlier than at the door for those of us who get there early because we are faithful Grape Escapers!
On to the compliments. Love’d Allio D’oilio’s little open face sandwiches … more food like that for me, please. LIked the bread sticks but didn’t need three, and break sticks really didn’t need a whole food truck, but I’d like to see some more of our famous food trucks participate too! We have more vegans in Calgary than ever before. A few veggie offerings without Dairy could be good. After all, Summer is Veggie time and pairing Beer and Wine with Veg is important.
Loved the Vache Qui Rit Cow! She was fantastic!
There was a tasting forum where the Somaliers from the stores were, but a few years in a row there was a booth with Co-Op’s wine experts at the ready to discuss the other options, I missed it this year.
And for my husband and my friends with tired feet … a few tables with chairs please? No, we don’t want to sit for an hour in a large roped off area, in a formal tasting area with wine and a line, we just want to sit for five because we all get up and try more stuff.
And there were some lovely Moscatos for my sweet wine loving friends and Crabbies Apple for the beer drinkers.
All in all, it’s still a 5 star event for me, mostly because the atmosphere is happy and busy and fun!

What if I told you you could pay $ 50 for 4 hours of unlimited booze, food, and people watching? You’d be on that like gravy on poutine right? Right!
I’ve been a big fan of the Grape Escape for years and despite the unlimited booze aspect I’ve never managed to over-​grape it too badly. Why? Because they usually have some kickass food sponges sopping up the booze and keeping things classy. (For me at least, you may have been one of those drunken idiots since the whole thing started.)
This year was a bit different… the quality of the food sponges was WAY down. A visit to the cheese station, normally a highlight, was met with cheese filled celery sticks — because that’s clearly the best accompaniment for adults drinking unlimited alcohol. Seriously Co-​op, what happened?
It wasn’t just food that was lacking, it was alcohol selection too. Despite the name, Grape Escape has all sorts of booze (beer, wine, spirits, etc.) but if you’re trying to showcase your boozy offerings, I’d like it if there were some wine to try that sells for more than $ 12 or $ 13. Hey, I enjoy a well priced red as much as the next wino, but I’d love to try something new and if we’re being honest, I’m Facebook friends with most bottles in the sub $ 15 range.
One thing that always keeps the night incredibly entertaining is the people watching. In fact, I may go back just for that. While I’ve never been able to wear a headband as a skirt OR a top, I’ve seen the look enough at this event to know what to pair it with should I ever decide to go in that direction. It’s not just the men and their fashion that make the evening entertaining, the women have some gems (both good and bad) as well.
Honestly, if you’re looking for an event where it’s incredibly easy to meet people and/​or pick up, Grape Escape is a no brainer. I did get introduced to a really nice scotch and I’m pretty sure we’ll be dating it up in the future.

I discovered chocolate wine and apricot beer here, so I basically had a fabulous and magical time. I’m giving it three stars because eventually the lines were really long, and people started getting rowdy during the final hour.
Just wanted to warn everyone: while there are cheese and appetizer samples here, you will not find enough food to make up for dinner. Make sure you eat before you come, or plan on eating after. (If only to help soak up the booze a little.)