Chattanooga wine weekend $529 for two

By Clara Bosonetto Maerz

For ajc.com

Autumn's the perfect time to head north to Chattanooga for a weekend of few tourists, cooler temps, and one cool not-to-miss event.

The Chattanoogan, Chattanooga's AAA Four Diamond-rated upscale hotel, offers an exceptional weekend package for wine lovers.

The hotel's "Wine Over Water Weekend" package includes deluxe accommodations on Sept. 25-26; two tickets to the exclusive "Best Cellars" reserve wine tasting event at The Chattanoogan; two tickets to the 15th Annual Wine Over Water Festival that features more than 200 wines served by 100 wineries; daily breakfast at the hotel's Broad Street Grille; valet parking; unlimited use of the hotel's health and recreation facilities; and gratuities.

The two-night weekend package price is $529 per couple. Many other one and two-night packages for Wine Over Water start from $249 per night.

Here's what's in store for the weekend event:

Friday evening, guests will enjoy an exclusive wine tasting at The Chattanoogan, featuring exceptional reserve and limited edition wines from 150 of the world's top wineries. At the Best Cellars event, guests will swing to live jazz while sampling culinary delicacies prepared by hotel chefs. Other evening highlights include a silent wine auction and a sampling of extraordinary aged cellar wines.

Saturday, Wine Over Water, Tennessee's premier wine-tasting festival, will be held from 5-8 p.m. The big event takes place on the historic Walnut Street Bridge overlooking the Tennessee River.

The bridge is one of the longest pedestrian bridges in the world and the centerpiece of Chattanooga's riverfront revitalization.

Thousands of Chattanoogans and visitors are expected to attend this limited-ticket wine tasting and sample hundreds of wines from such esteemed wineries as Clos du Bois, Hogue, Kim Crawford, Lindemans, Penfolds, R.H. Phillips and Sutter Home.

In addition, cuisine from the city's finest restaurants, including The Chattanoogan's Broad Street Grille, will be available for purchase. Local artists will also perform live music on five stages spanning the bridge.

The Chattanoogan is a two-hour drive from Atlanta and within walking distance of the city's museums, galleries, shops, restaurants and The Tennessee Aquarium.