Having never attended the “Wines in the Wild” event at the Buffalo Zoo before, I was looking forward to enjoying some food, refreshments and entertainment amongst the polar bears and lions.

We arrived at the Buffalo Zoo and were directed to the entrance along the Delaware Park path, where attendees could pick up their wine glasses and information on participating vendors. There was quite a line to enter, but it moved along incredibly fast.

Although the event was sold out, people were hardly hurting for space since the Zoo had laid out vendors all across the grounds under tents, providing some great treats.

One of my favorites from the night was Bravo’s lobster bisque soup, although Brodo’s stuffed hot pepper soup with cornbread came at a close second. Lebro’s also provided scrumptious ravioli, Italian wedding soup and I also enjoyed some refreshing gazpacho from Pizza Plant.

Other delectable treats included numerous dessert and bakeries including Fairycakes, who had mini strawberry lemonade cupcakes as well as these Oreo flavored ones—yum.

In terms of refreshments, I made stops at a few tables including Johnson Estate Winery, Global Group and Mckenzie’s Hard Cider for some tastings. Although a few favorites like Flying Bison Brewery might have had long lines, attendees never had to wait long for a re-fill.

A silent auction was also occurring throughout the night, for fans of the Zoo to try their chance at a bunch of great baskets. All proceeds from the event went to the Zoo’s Adopt an Animal fund.

While wandering the grounds with a glass of wine and plate full of Yancey’s Fancy samples (I definitely recommend the strawberry chardonnay and horseradish cheddar flavors) we got to admire a few animals as well.

The lions and polar bears might have been sleeping the afternoon away in their respective abodes, but the spotted hyenas and tortoises were more than happy to entertain.

An overall great night, Wines in the Wild was a great event that I am already planning on attending next summer. With the guarantee of a sold-out event, keep an eye out next year so you don’t miss out.