Saturday, September 9th and 10th was the Windy City Wine Festival at Buckingham Fountain. I didn't go last year, but I went the year before and had a great time.

We were a little worried about the weather going into Saturday with rain, but it ended up being a perfectly gorgeous day. 

The event started at 2:30pm, so we arrived shortly after that.

Lindsey and I purchased tickets ahead of time which were $35 and included 12 tasting tickets, a plastic wine glass and a pint of beer from the Stella booth.

I always go into this event thinking 12 tickets is really not enough, but it ends up being the perfect amount and the pint of beer is a bonus. 

Some tents had longer lines which I thought meant they were the more expensive wines and everyone knew about it but me.

We got a few samples, but nothing really stuck out to me as something I needed to purchase.

 We walked around and then took a break at the stage to watch the live band. These guys were really good playing acoustic music. The later band was also good, playing catchy songs that everyone knows and can dance to. 

Of course we had to hit up a rosé tent. The bottles were just the cutest. I think this was actually my favorite sample of the day...

...well besides the free samples at Nothing Bundt Cakes. We ordered these cakes for my cousins bridal shower and they were a huge hit, so we were familiar with their yumminess. 

I just met this girl and she let me take an action shot of her eating Taco in a Bag to post on this blog - that's how you know she's a cool girl! 

We drank more wine and then decided it was time to get our beer.

We went over to the Stella booth and ordered a few pints, then we saw the pizza booth right next to it. Obviously Lindsey needed it so we went over to wait in line.

It was called Copper Oven Pizza and they just pop up at events and sell their food. I asked the man working the register how many pizzas they've made so far, and he said about 200, and at that point it had only been a few hours since they opened. Impressive.

We debated between the Cheese and the Artichoke and Spinach. We decided on the Artichoke and Spinach because it looked really good.

They had a whole process going and the pizza was ready in about 10 minutes.

As soon as it came out of the copper oven, it was hit with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. My mouth is watering again just seeing this picture.

I only managed to snatch one slice from my pizza monster sister, and it was really good. The artichokes were perfectly soft, the cheese was gooey and the lemon juice really added a citrusy freshness. 

The sun began to set and cast a golden color across the sky and onto the buildings.

It really was a beautiful site.

And then things got a little weird... 

We ended the night with more stunning views of the skyline. The Buckingham Fountain looks amazing during the day, sunset and lit up at night. SO PRETTY!