Walt Disney World Orlando Feature

For six autumn weeks, Epcot hosts the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, attracting folks more interested in a fine phyllo than a photo op with Cinderella.

The festival is essentially a compendium of food- and beverage-related offerings, some free with the price of Epcot admission, others costing anywhere from $3 to a few hundred. Guests can attend wine or cheese seminars, have cookbooks signed by authors, and sample tapas-sized portions of foods from around the world. And that's just the basics. Throughout the event, Disney and guest chefs host brunches, lunches, and wine-pairing dinners at Epcot and in hotels, some posh, others festive, and yet more T-shirt and shorts-friendly. The headliners change annually but might include names like Jacques Torres, Bobby Deen, or Allen Susser. The festival's food and beverage lineup changes annually, but for more information and to make reservations (during festival season only, generally midsummer through early November), call 407/939-3378 or visit www.disneyworld.com/foodandwine.

Master of the House

Visitors with a serious interest in the fruit of the vine should consider enrolling in one of the festival's Wine School classes, some taught by Master Sommeliers (there are only 109 total in the United States, 180 worldwide). Each one- or two-hour course focuses on a single subject, which may include the regions from which pinot noir is derived or the wines of Argentina.

Shopping for a Snack

The heart of the Food & Wine Festival—and the most approachable event for hungry tourists on a budget—takes place around Epcot's World Showcase. Ordinarily a miniature world of 11 pavilions themed around one country apiece, the area takes on new life as 25 "international marketplaces" take up residence.

Each of the 25 marketplaces, from Brazil to Bangkok, offers a taste of one country, selling approximately three appetizer-size food items and a few beverages that pair well—nearly all for $3 to $7 apiece. Indisputably popular creations like the garlicky escargots at the France counter and the cheddar soup ladled out endlessly at Canada are keepers; regulars might revolt if those were absent at any time. Still, a majority of the menu can change in a given year. Attendees who stop by every autumn might taste Belgian steamed mussels with roasted-garlic cream (with a Stella Artois beer or Godiva-chocolate iced coffee) or Chilean shrimp ceviche (with Santa Ema Reserve chardonnay) one time, an Irish fisherman's pie (with Bunratty Meade honey wine) or a Korean lettuce wrap with roast pork and kimchi slaw (with black-raspberry rice wine) another.

At a few marketplaces, a certain item is featured instead of a locale. The Welcome Center, for instance, pours a bounty of bubbly. A cheese and charcuterie marketplace puts out treats like cheese fondue with croutons and roasted potatoes, and applewood-smoked beef, duck, and ham. And the all-American Hops & Barley Market often specializes in fare U.S. citizens can be proud of, such as New England lobster rolls and Samuel Adams beers.

Lines tend to get very long, especially on weekends when locals pour in for their regular fix of foreign fare, so consider timing your tour during the day, or on a weekday evening when most spots have shorter waits.

Festival of the Senses

Every Saturday evening throughout the festival, food and wine enthusiasts clad in cocktail attire saunter into the gala, "Party for the Senses." Billed as a "grand tasting," the bash is a huge all-you-can-eat fancy-food fest. In a dramatically decorated, high-ceilinged room, 10 to 15 chefs from around the country host one food station apiece, serving a hearty appetizer-size portion of one passionately prepared dish. Some are Disney chefs eager to show their talents, while others are known nationally. Big names such as François Payard, Allen Susser, and Walter Staib have been known to participate. Wines and beers are poured freely throughout the night. Live entertainment such as acrobats and vocalists gives attendees something to watch while taking a break between bites. The price is approximately $135 per person plus park admission, an additional $90 for reserved seats in a lounge area with an artisanal cheese station and a premium bar.