creative commons licensed photo by Velo Steve [flickr]

If you’re a fan of fine wine, fine food, art, jazz and/or classical music, you’ll want to head over to Kirkland this weekend for Kirkland Uncorked, a three-day festival that celebrates all of these things and more to raise funds for the Hope Heart Institute, a local organization dedicated to research on better treatments and cures for heart disease.

From Friday, July 18 through Sunday, July 20 visit Artist Lane in downtown Kirkland to view fine art for sale by over 60 Northwest artists. Head down to the marina to see a showcase of some of the hottest boats on the market today. Take your dog to Kirkland Uncorked on Sunday for the annual CityDog Cover Dog Model Search or stop by on your own to check out all the canine candidates. Also on Sunday you can see hundreds of hot rods and custom and classic cars throughout downtown Kirkland as part of the 6th Annual Kirkland Classic Car Show.

Once you’re in the area, make sure you go by Marina Park for the Wine Garden. $20 in advance (through Brown Paper Tickets) or $25 at the door gets you a souvenir tasting glass (while supplies last) and 10 tasting tokens redeemable for the wines of your choice. Wine tastings are 1- 3 tokens depending on the price of the wine and additional tokens can be bought on site for $1 each. Some of the wineries participating include Washington Wine Company, Naches Heights Vineyards, Stina Cellars, and Kalamar Winery, just to name a few. All of them offer a variety of quality wines worthy of checking out. Prefer beer to wine? The festival also features a beer garden sponsored by Henry Weinhard.