Sip & Explore Event at Total Wine & More
- Kimi's Travel Thoughts
- 44 minutes ago
- 4 min read
June 2026 Monthly Adventure
It's summertime in Texas which means I am back to finding indoor activities around Austin that I can write about for the Monthly Adventures Series. This month, I decided to experience wine tasting during the free Sip & Explore - Taste the World Before the First Kick! event at Total Wine & More.
Background
I don't really drink alcohol much and will only get a drink or two if I'm out with friends or at an event. Even then, I'm usually going for mocktails these days. However, I absolutely love a tasting event for wines and spirits because it's a chance to learn more about how something was made! I have been on the hunt for more free and low cost activities to do and came across the free Sip & Explore - Taste the World Before the First Kick! event at Total Wine & More recently. This was a weekend-long event at the beginning of June and I went to the Total Wine location in the Austin Arboretum area to check it out. I was coming back from a work trip and couldn't make it for the Friday night portion of the event, so I went during the Saturday afternoon festivities. All I had to do was show up, sip, learn, and maybe do a bit of shopping!
Sip & Explore - Taste the World Before the First Kick! Event at Total Wine & More
The concept behind the Sip & Explore event at Total Wine & More was to expose customers to alcohol with global origins before the start of the World Cup. Since I only went on the last day of the event, I missed anything that was featured the day prior. However, I still had an opportunity to taste some good samples!
Vodka
There were a few vodka samples available at Total Wine & More the day I went to the Sip & Explore event. However, I only tried one because I didn't think it would be ideal to try all the samples knowing I still needed to run errands afterwards. As soon as I walked into the store, the first booth I saw was for Goodnight Loving Vodka which is actually a local company based out the Austin area. They source water from Texas springs (water source is a very important factor in all distilled alcohol) and use corn as the primary ingredient. This creates a bit of a sweeter taste compared to the typical potato origins that Polish and Russian vodka is perhaps more commonly known for -- although grains such as corn are also used and not an uncommon ingredient.
Wine
At the main tasting center in the store, I tried some of the featured wines. There were three wines available to sample and I tried two. One was a pinot grigio from Italy which was very smooth with a nice citrusy note. I also tried a sauvignon blanc by a company called Loveblock which is from New Zealand. This sample was particularly interesting because I could get a full sense of the flavor profile despite the wine not being completely chilled as one would normally have when drinking a glass of it. It was smooth, fruity, and a tiny bit peppery.
Tequila
There were multiple samples of tequila available between a couple of booths. However, I only stopped for samples at one booth because the bottles were very pretty. The tequila I sampled is sources from Jalisco and I sampled the blanco from the blue bottle and the reposado from the pink bottle. I preferred the blanco, but the reposado had a nice flavor from the oak cask that it was aged in.
Pro Tip: The best tequila I've ever had was when I was at a margarita making workshop in Mexico during my first trip with Virgin Voyages. As the lady explained to me while sampling tequila at Total Wine & More, the really good tequila is in Mexico because the bottles shipped to the United States have some additional ingredients and the ones that stay in Mexico have simpler, pure ingredients.
Wrap-Up
Overall, I really enjoyed the samples that I tried and I liked that I could leisurely browse the store between tastings. I ultimately purchased a 375 mL bottle of Goodnight Loving Vodka that was priced at $9.99. I also bought a bottle of the Loveblock sauvignon blanc priced at $19.99. I may end up using the bottle of wine for entertainment or gift purposes in the future. For the vodka, I have an infusion kit from a company based out of Houston called Uncomplicated Lush that will be good for making flavorful single servings of mixed drinks or can be used for batch cocktails.
I love learning about how things are made and this free event was a perfect opportunity to experience that! It truly is amazing how water source, soil, climate, and wooden barrels can have such an impact on the flavor wine and spirits in addition to the base ingredient that is being fermented or distilled. I definitely want to go to one of the classes that Total Wine & More hosts. Of course, I'll be sure to write about it when I finally do!
On to the next adventure!
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