Wine Riot arrives in downtown L.A. next Saturday

The roving tasting event Wine Riot is coming back, for the third year — on Saturday, Nov. 9. Founded by Tyler Balliet and Morgan First of Second Glass, Wine Riot is pitched to the younger and just-getting-into-it wine consumer. Lavish use of the words “hip” and “tech savvy” abounds in coverage of previous events.

If that speaks to you, then by all means sign up. There will be more than three dozen booths pouring wines from around the world. Newbies should keep an eye out for the Wine 101 booth, which will get down with the basics of tasting, so you can discern, for example, the difference between oaked and unoaked wines or dry and sweet. New this year, too, is a Bubbly Bar pouring sparkling wines. Expect that to be mobbed.

Where’s all this happening? At the Majestic Halls near Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles. This year’s event weighs in with afternoon and evening sessions. In a news release, Balliet says, “Our goal for Wine Riot is to take the traditional snobbiness out of the wine tasting event experience and to make wine more approachable for everyone. Wine Riot is all about learning about wine but having a lot of fun at the same time.”

This year’s Wine Riot will also showcase wines from Mexico’s Baja wine country. Among the wineries pouring at the event are Chateau Ste. Michelle, Francis Ford Coppola, Quady Winery, Steele Wines, Uproot Wines and many more, though some are from the big wine company Constellation’s collection. There will be wines from South Africa and Portugal, too, and a booth from single-serve wine packager Zipz Wine.

To document the fun, get yourself and friends photographed at the prop-stocked photo booth. There’s also a free Wine Riot mobile app for iPhone and Android which comes preloaded with every wine you can taste at the event and with space to add your own notes about each wine.

There are two identical events: Riot One (1 to 5 p.m.) and Riot Two (7 to 11 p.m.). Tickets cost $60 per person for unlimited tasting and are available online. And, hey, you won’t need a designated driver because Uber car service will be giving new users $20 off their first ride and existing users 20% off their ride.

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Twitter: @sirenevirbila