A brand-new collaboration between the Grass Valley Downtown Association and the Northern Sierra Wine Country winery association was a rousing success Saturday.

The ninth annual Foothills Celebration of Wine and Food was a sellout, said an ecstatic Downtown Association Executive Director Howard Levine.

“It was the best ever,” he said. “It was better than the best ever ... It was terrific. Everybody had a fun time.”

In all, 34 locations downtown, including restaurants, retail stores and winery tasting rooms, hosted wine tastings and food pairings opportunities. The event included 16 Nevada County wineries, plus wineries from Placer, El Dorado and Amador counties.

More than 1,000 tasting glasses were used, Levine said.

“We've never gotten a thousand people before,” he said. “It was a big jump (from last year) and the winery association was a big part of that. I think the public really likes the event, the merchants really like the event and the wineries really like the event.”

Levine also credited the event's sponsors, including Citizens Bank and The Union.

The celebration, which was from 1 to 4 p.m. in downtown Grass Valley, benefited from the clearing, spring-like weather.

“We had a little drizzle, at 3:57 p.m. I felt one little drop,” Levine said. “We've always been very fortunate with the weather for the event. It wasn't cold, the sun was out ... people were elated.”

The Winery Association and the Grass Valley Downtown Association will next partner on the Taste Of The Gold Country at the Fairgrounds during the Draft Horse Classic in September.

To contact Staff Writer Liz Kellar, e-mail lkellar@theunion.com or call 477-4229.