A classic Denver Food & Wine Classic

Troy Guard's TAG hosts a Denver Food & Wine dinner tonight.

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The fifth annual Denver Food & Wine Classic kicked off last night, and it's bigger and better than ever this year -- in every way. "Art of the Cocktail and a Movie" brought several hundred people to the Quad at Metropolitan State College on a beautiful summer night for an outdoor screening of Pressure Cooker and an incredible array of cocktails served up by members of the Colorado bartenders guild. (Not surprisingly, Anika Zappe poured some of the most winning drinks; read all about her cocktailology philosophy here.)

Tonight, paired wine dinners will take place at participating restaurants ranging from the Fort to TAG. Troy Guard, chef/owner of TAG (read all about him here) is also part of the the Classic's culiminating event: Saturday's Grand Tasting, which this year will include more than 400 featured wines, spirits and cuisine from local restaurants, plus chef demonstrations (Guard is part of the Denver Five), a wine auction, and special guest Bethenny Frankel, author of the Naturally Thin cookbook and star of Bravo's The Real Housewives of New York City.

The Grand Tasting takes place on the Metro campus from noon to 4 p.m. For information on all this and still more Classic events taking place across the city, visit www.denverfoodandwine.com.