Cayuga Lake Wine Trail’s 9th Annual Mardi Gras

At our annual Mardi Gras event on March 5 & 6 join us for a bit of Irish luck where if you participate in our Scavenger Hunt you’ll be eligible to win the infamous Pot of Gold. The fun part of this event is the beads all colors, shapes and sizes. A few beaded shapes you’ll see will remind you of St. Patty’s day, shamrocks and dollar signs but you’ll also see flip flops and sombreros thrown into the mix. You’ll also receive a wine glass, plus instant gratification, if you’re one of the lucky ones to pick the specially marked coin to win exciting prizes at each of the 16 wineries or wine the Grand Prizes. At all of our events we offer wine and food pairings and at this event we highlight a New Orleans cuisine.We are offering a wide selection of Mardi Gras packages this year at hotels in Ithaca, Seneca Falls and Auburn. Each package includes accommodations, transportation for two and two tickets to the Mardi Gras event. Think of it, all the fun and none of the hassle in traveling from winery to winery. Check out our website cayugawinetrail.com under Wine Trail Packages for more details.The New Orleans culinary flair is the common denominator with our recipes. Bellwether Hard Cider again offers their Hard Cider Beignets, a perfectly delectable light puffed pastry that if you were to travel to New Orleans you would find at many restaurants. Swedish Hill Vineyard will be serving their Cajun Style Corn Soup, lots of pepper in this dish. At Knapp Winery and Vineyard Restaurant enjoy their King’s Cake where the icing is made from their Limoncello, a lime flavored liqueur. Even though we know that ice cream and cake go together you’ll have a few wineries to visit before you reach Cayuga Ridge Estate Winery where they’ll be serving Jalepeno Cream Cheese Ice Cream with a Raspberry Sauce, heavenly. No Mardi Gras event would be complete without a Cajun Jambalaya prepared by Chef Samantha Buyskes from Simply Red Bistro located at Sheldrake Point. This Jambalaya I’m sure will be irresistible because of her culinary fame, as she appeared on the show “Chopped” of The Food Network.New to this event is our Scavenger Hunt where you can win our version of a Pot of Gold, one case of Gold Medal winning wines. How it works: Visit the 16 winery members along the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail read the clues and figure out the answers to find the objects at the wineries or know the trivia. See how many answers you can get right. Let the Hunt begin!We have three Grand Prizes and to be eligible all you have to do is visit the wineries and make sure you turn in your ticket at your last visited winery. The prizes are from these great accommodations, Barrister’s Bed and Breakfast in Seneca Falls, Country Inn & Suites in Ithaca or Inn at the Finger Lakes in Auburn.Advance tickets are $25.00 per person plus handling fee and sales tax. Designated Driver tickets are available. For tickets call 800-684-5217, order online at cayugawinetrail.com or purchase at any area Wegmans.