Autumn, with its backdrop of brilliantly hued foliage and crisp cool nights, is the best time of year for regions around the country to host a wine festival. From Martha’s Vineyard to Sin City, and even Disney World, here are 10 of the best, beyond Napa and Sonoma. Expect grand tastings with opportunities to sip dozens of wines, wine-geek seminars, winemaker dinners, and chefs’ cooking demos. Many of these festivals bring locally grown grapes into the spotlight too (such as Arizona and Maryland, which have up-and-coming wine regions). Most have celebrity guests, so keep your eyes peeled for your favorite culinary gods and goddesses.
By Kristine Hansen
Kohler Food & Wine Experience, Kohler, Wisconsin
Kohler, Wisconsin
When: October 17-20, 2013
Details: Hosted an hour north of Milwaukee, in the charming company town of Kohler (home to the luxury manufacturer of plumbing products), is the three-day long Kohler Food & Wine Experience at the posh resort, The American Club. A mix of celebrity chefs (like Jacques Pépin and Cat Cora) and local favorites (such as the Beekman Boys) create delicious meals. The experience also offers about 20 wine seminars each day taught by wine rock stars like Kent Rosenblum and Marc Mondavi and there is even a seminar on pairing bacon with wine.
Cost: Seminars, $25-$42. Friday night’s grand tasting (“Taste of the Vine”), $95.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit the Fodor’s Wisconsin Guide
Maryland Autumn Wine Festival, Salisbury, Maryland
Salisbury, Maryland
When: October 19-20, 2013
Details: At the Maryland Autumn Wine Festival, twenty-some Maryland wines are poured in Pemberton Park to the tunes of Dave Matthews Band collaborator Tim Reynolds and TR3 along with other live-music acts. Wine seminars are hosted daily. VIP treatment (limited to 200 people daily) provides access to reserved parking, tastings with vintners and winemakers, a wine-making forum and a goodie bag.
Cost: Tickets bought in advance and through the website range from $25 (day pass) to $40 (two-day pass). $35 day passes sold at the gate. VIP tickets are available through October 17 for $55 (one day) or $90 (two days).
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Salisbury, Maryland Guide
Seeing Red Wine Festival, Seaside, Florida
Seaside, Florida
When: October 31-November 3, 2013
Details: Florida’s laidback Panhandle region welcomes a couture wine scene with Seeing Red Wine Festival. A vintner’s dinner (with Jed Steele of Steele Winery of Lake County, California) at Bud & Alley’s Restaurant, two wine seminars with California’s Pali Wine Co., a sparkling-wine tasting and two major tastings (one al fresco) are included in the festivities.
Cost: $35-$185 per event.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit the Fodor’s Florida Panhandle Guide
Denver International Wine Festival
Denver
When: November 6-9, 2013
Details: At Denver International Wine Festival there are enough events to pack into four days, including a food-and-wine pairing competition (contestants are Colorado chefs); a tasting of 400 wines, beers, spirits; educational seminars about wine; and a daylong tour of three local wineries, plus one distillery.
Cost: $95-$210 per event.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit the Fodor’s Denver Guide
Food & Wine All-Star Weekend, Las Vegas
Las Vegas
When: October 4-6, 2013
Details: Las Vegas Boulevard has long been a hotspot for flashy dining but nowhere is this more true than at the Food & Wine All-Star Weekend. Jean Georges Vongerichten, Michael Mina, Joël Robuchon and Jason Smith (Bellagio’s Master Sommelier, who teaches a Syrah seminar and presides over a champagne brunch during the weekend) are all on deck to coach in the art of pairing foods and wines. Robuchon’s six-course menu and wine pairing is on Saturday night at his namesake eatery.
Cost: $95-$595 per event.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit the Fodor’s Las Vegas Guide
Martha’s Vineyard Food & Wine Festival, Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts
Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts
When: October 17-20, 2013
Details: Long after the summer crowds go home, Martha’s Vineyard Food & Wine Festival welcomes wine aficionados for “a celebration of sea, farm, and wine.” Chefs linked to area restaurants and hotels—such as Harbor View Hotel, The Sweet Life Cafe and Tremont 647—tinker with fall foods, while wine geeks collaborate at the first annual Sommelier Throw Down. At the grand tasting on Saturday, the island’s food and wine cultures collide with chef demos and wine pours. Six wine and food seminars round out the festival’s events.
Cost: $25-$40 per event.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit the Fodor’s Guide to Martha’s Vineyard
New York City Wine & Food Festival
New York City
When: October 17-20, 2013
Details: What better place than Manhattan’s diverse culinary scene to host a wine and food festival? The star-studded roster of chefs include Todd English, Michael Symon, Rachael Ray, and Laurent Tourondel. It’s more than a feast for the eyes—practically everywhere you turn there’s a stellar wine or nibble to be had. Walk-around tastings, late-night parties, and brunches put a new spin on food and wine fêtes. Ray Isle (wine writer for Food & Wine magazine), renowned wine author Jancis Robinson, and Wine Spectator each host wine seminars.
Cost: $21.78-$326.63 per event.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit the Fodor’s New York City Guide
Town Point Virginia Wine Festival, Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
When: October 19-20, 2013
Details: Held in downtown Norfolk’s Town Point Park, more than 30 Virginia wineries participate in the Town Point Virginia Wine Festival. All of the wine can be purchased on-site, a boon since many of those wineries don’t distribute outside of Virginia. Live music and food prepared by local chefs using state-grown ingredients round out the festival.
Cost: $30-$35 per day for tasting.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit the Fodor’s Norfolk Guide
Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
When: September 27-November 11, 2013
Details: During the annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, the park caters to grown-ups with wine-education seminars, cheese seminars, and nightly outdoor concerts from acts like Sister Hazel, Sugar Ray, and the Pointer Sisters.
Cost: Included with admission to the park.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit the Fodor’s Orlando Guide
Willcox Wine Country Festival, Willcox, Arizona
Willcox, Arizona
When: October 19-20, 2013
Details: Arizona’s lesser-known beverage product—wine—is paired with live music at the Willcox Wine Country Festival. The event is held near a grape-growing region and one hour from Tucson. At the fest is an opportunity to sample 70 wines from 16 local wineries, to the tune of live music.
Cost: $15 tasting fee (for eight wines).
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit the Fodor’s Willcox Guide