13th Annual Chili Cook-off and Wine Lover’s Potluck

Date: Saturday, January 22, 2011
Start Time: 1:00 pm
(Time Zone: US/Eastern)

Location: Fenn Valley Vineyards

Category: West Michigan Coastal Surrounding Areas

Here are the details:

During the bitter cold of winter, on January 22nd, the chill is going to thaw at Fenn Valley’s 13th annual Chili Cook-off. Last year over 750 people gathered to enjoy some fine wine and taste the chilies and other great appetizers.

This year we are again challenging you to dust-off your soup pot and bring your secret recipe out to compete for the awards of Best Chili in each category. For those of you who do not wish to participate in the cook-off, we invite you to bring a pot of chili or an appetizer to be included in our “wine lover’s potluck”.

We have changed the categories - they are based on the type of meat, if any, used in the recipe. There are now four categories: "Four Legs" (beef & pork), "Two Legs" (fowl), "Vegetarian" (no meat), and "Exotic" (seafood and wild game, including venison). Hopefully this new system will allow for more entries as well as make the judging easier and more consistent.

Contestants must pre-register their chilies prior to the event (accepted Jan 1) and submit their chili entry between 1:00 and 2:00 pm on the day of the event. The judging will begin at 2:00 sharp and should be concluded by 3:00 pm. We are fortunate to have been able to secure the talents of some local chefs and instructors from the culinary arts school of Grand Rapids Community College to serve as our panel of judges.


For those non-contestants, the “wine lover’s potluck” will begin at 2:00 pm. During the potluck, everyone will be able to enjoy the chilies from the cook-off, the appetizers and chilies provided by the non-contestants, and a selection of new wines from the past vintage.

We are also pleased to include the musical talents of Natchez Trace for your enjoyment. They play classic popular favorites and have performed at a number of our Summer Evening Cookouts and Open House events during the past three or four years.

The cost of admission will be either a chili entry per family, or a favorite appetizer or pot of chili for the potluck. Last year we received some complaints about not enough food and chili. Remember, this is your party - we provide the venue and the entertainment, you provide the food. If you want to eat chili, then bring chili. You do not have to enter a chili in the contest to bring a chili! In addition to your food, we will be making some of our newest wines available for your enjoyment: Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Meritage 2009, and the Late Harvest Seyval 2010.


Be sure to take advantage of the big savings at our annual cellar clearance sale – 3 bottles for the price of 2. Select wines to be announced in December.

All three bottles must be the same wine, no mix’n matching, please. While supplies last, some items are in short supply – no “rain checks”. The cellar clearance sale runs from 11-5 on Saturday January 22 and 12:30-5 on Sunday January 23 only. Telephone and mail orders are accepted, provided pickup or shipment occurs by February 1, 2011.


All chilies MUST pre-register. Call (269) 561-2396

Categorization of chili is determined as follows:

If your chili contains any animal that walks on 4 legs, it will be placed in the "4 legs" category.
If your chili contains any animal with 2 legs, it will be placed in the "2 legs" category.
If your chili contains no meat or any animal with no legs, it will be placed in the "Vegetarian" category.
If your chili contains seafood or wild game (including venison),it will be placed in the "Exotic" category.
There are no cooking facilities available, so entries must be received in a ready-to-judge form. (We recommend a crock pot).

All chilies must arrive between 1-2 pm in a crock pot as warm as possible. Any chili arriving after 2 pm will not be judged and will be added to the pot luck.

One entry per person.

There are a maximum of 30 entries per category.

There will be a prep area for last minute additions to the chili if necessary. Once we check-in the chili, you will have no further contact with the bulk container of chili.

There will be 3 judges per category. Each judge will use a 14-point scale and all chilies are judged blind. Criteria that will be evaluated include: Color, Aroma, Texture, Heat/Spice, Flavor, and Overall enjoyment.

A three-member panel will evaluate each category, and the highest scoring chili from each category will be re-evaluated by all nine judges for the position of grand champion.

Any ingredient you feel will enhance the flavor of the chili is allowed. Beans, macaroni, rice and other similar ingredients are encouraged.

Please remember…this is NOT an International Chili Society sanctioned event. We are all here to have fun!!!!

Location Details

Fenn Valley Vineyards
6130 122ND AVE
FENNVILLE MI 49408