This past weekend I went to my first Astoria-Warrenton Crab, Seafood and Wine Festival. You might have noticed the heavy traffic coming in and out of Astoria (I got stuck in it approaching from both the east and west on Friday and Sunday). The festival draws about 16,000 people to the area, and its one of the most popular with Coast Weekend readers. So I knew I?had to give it a try.

I meant to take a shuttle with my friends to the Clatsop County Fairgrounds, where the festival is held, but we ended up taking a taxi. I missed the shuttle ride (which Ive heard can be pretty fun), but I tried my best to experience the fullness that the festival had to offer.

Upon arrival, I picked out a stemless wine glass with this years logo decal. Two of my friends went for hand-painted glasses; one featured a pelican, the other a green turtle. With our cups in hand, we went out to sample wines from all over Oregon. I even had the good fortune to stumble upon this years gold medal viognier by Silvan Ridge winery, which was a great find.

Ive heard several people say something to the effect that theres more wine than seafood at the Crab, Seafood and Wine Festival. And while there were a lot of wine vendors (and a beer garden), to my newcomers eyes there was also plenty of seafood to eat. Vendors handed out free samples left and right. I tried some wild tuna and salmon, countless dips, pesto and even honey. And I dug into a delicious crab cocktail from the Bell Buoy of Seaside booth in honor of the festivals name and because I love crab. The cocktail sauce had a distinctive horseradish kick and the crab was a great snack. Then there was the food tent: I sampled some Southern gumbo and piping hot fish and chips.

One vendor that surprised me with its offerings was Sage and Sea Farms. The company makes hand-batch sipping vinegars, also known as switchel or shrub, from locally sourced fruit. Though at first I was a little skeptical, I found all four flavors that I sampled to taste amazing: the lemon had a tart zing, the marionberry delighted the sweet tooth, the apricot was bright and summery, and the dandelion sample was flowery. Proprietor Deb Counts-Tabor told me the sipping vinegars could be enjoyed on ice cream or added to cocktails or non-alcoholic drinks for added flavor. It seemed like a good idea to me.