YOUR AD HERE »

Mines and Wines tours pair local mining history with international wines

The Fox School of Wine and Deer Valley have joined forces for the Deer Valley Mines and Wines VIP Tour that will run from 1-4 p.m. every Thursday, starting July 11.
Courtesy of Kirsten Fox

Deer Valley Mines and Wines VIP Tours

Thursdays, 1-4 p.m.

The Brass Tag, Deer Valley

$247

foxschoolofwine.com/mines--wines-public-vip-tours.html

The Fox School of Wine and Deer Valley Resort hope people will dig the Deer Valley Mines and Wines VIP tours.

The three-hour excursions, which will run every Thursday, starting on July 11, will pair Park City’s mining history with wines from around the world, said Kirsten Fox, headmistress of the Fox School of Wine.

All tours, which are only for ages 21 and older, will include round-trip transportation from The Brass Tag restaurant at Deer Valley, a tasting and history note card, props for optional candid photos and paired snack bags, Fox said.



The tours will also include walking outside regardless of weather, and each tasting consists of about 2.5 fluid ounces of wine, Fox said.

“As an executive sommelier, I enjoy pairing wines with food, but I also enjoy pairing wines with characteristics of things and places,” said Fox, who writes a wine blog for the Huffington Post and hosts the Twisted Cork radio show and podcast.



Fox’s concept includes the pairing of a Chateauneuf-du-Pape from the Rhone region of France with a visit to the Silver King Consolidated Mining Headquarters, visible through a window in the Windermere Real Estate offices.

“The tunnel and another that it connects to, was used for multiple purposes including ore mining, water drainage and miner access and transporting skiers during their histories,” Fox said. “So the wine I selected can be paired with different food, and, in essence, be used for different purposes, like how the tunnels were used.”

Deer Valley Mines and Wines VIP Tour stops
  • The Brass Tag paired with vintage sparkling wine made for the King and Queen of Spain
  • Ontario Mine paired with French Premiere Cru Chablis
  • First National Bank (now the Meyer Gallery) on Main Street paired with an Oregon Rosé
  • Miner’s Hospital paired with a boutique, Napa Pinot Noir
  • Silver King Consolidated Mining HQ paired with a French Rhône Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  • Red Light District paired with a 20-Year Tawny Port

Another pairing consists of a 20-year-old Tawny Port with current site of the town’s former red-light district where sex work thrived.

“When we talk about the now former Red Light district, we discuss the women who were working there, and they weren’t an inexpensive diversion,” Fox said. “So when we tour the area, we will enjoy our most expensive wine to signify the high value of the women.”

The idea for the Deer Valley Mines and Wines VIP tours came when Emily Summers, Deer Valley’s senior communications manager, approached Fox two months ago about a partnership, said Abby Railton, the resort’s communications and content coordinator.

Railton, who spoke on behalf of the vacationing Summers, said Summers had approached Fox six weeks ago about collaborating on the tours.

“We thought it would be a cool community offering that tied into the history of Park City and the Deer Valley area and one of our newer restaurants, The Brass Tag, which features a mining theme,” Railton said. “It made sense for us to team up and give a history lesson.”

Participants of the Deer Valley Mines and Wines VIP Tours will receive some free gifts, including this two-bottle wine tote.
Courtesy of Kirsten Fox

The tours will start and finish at The Brass Tag, which offers free parking, Fox said.

At the beginning of a tour, guests willtaste a vintage sparkling wine made in Carneros, California for the King and Queen of Spain, and at the end of the tour, guest will enjoy free appetizers prepared by Brass Tag chef Heather Prine, according to Fox.

In addition, the group will receive three free gifts — a Deer Valley lift ride ticket, a Mines and Wines two-bottle wine tote and a to-be-determined Deer Valley-branded gift, she said.

“The Fox School of Wine is so lucky to be able to partner with such amazing businesses to bring wine-tasting experiences and education to local residents and visitors,” Fox said.

Entertainment


See more

Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Park City and Summit County make the Park Record's work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.