The Food & Wine Festival - Not just anything on your plate, but a worldwide experience.

Mary Ann and I are really looking forward to our upcoming trip to the "World" so we can visit for the first time, the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival. Although now celebrating it's 15th year, our trips have never coincided with this event. There has been much written on this event, since it is a major gathering place for the entire Disney fan and blogger community. My purpose today is to provide a summary of what to expect, for who haven't yet made their way there for this event that started October 1 and will end November 14.

 

There is so much scheduled during this special event that is it impossible to do it all, and from what I have read, it is best not to try. The locals make this a regular visit the entire month, but for us annuals or less frequent visitors, it's best to plan over the long term. The main event are 27 sampling stations to enjoy appetisers, entries, desserts, wines, beers and liquors. There are special programs, demonstrations and presentations as well as the reserved programming and the musical acts featured in Eat to the Beat.
 

Let's start with the International Marketplaces, the centerpiece of the Festival. These are the 27 booth areas. New this year are Belgium and South Korea, plus Charcuterie & Cheese. Also new are 15 Beers for 15 Years. And even though I am very loyal for the local beer in my community, Saranac, I'm looking forward to choosing my three pack of 6 oz selections from the list that include: Fischer Amber, Full Sail Amber, Key West Sunset Ale, La Fin Du Monde, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Smithwick’s, Windmer Drifter Pale Ale, Widmer Hefeweizen, Abita Amber, Abita Purple Haze, B.B. Burgerbrau, Banks Beer, Florida Lager, Sessions Lager and Viru Pilsner.

Also new this year is the Charcuterie & Cheese booth. Included will be: Cheese Fondue with Croutons and Roasted Potatoes, Applewood Smoked Beef, Duck; and Ham, MARTINI® Prosecco, Ace Joker Hard Cider and MacMurray Ranch Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir.

A featured special event, for which ADRs are also definitely needed is the Party for the Senses. This event, on Saturdays from 6:30 to 9:00 pm will cost $135 per person, or $225 per person if you add Wine View Lounge Privileges for a reserved table, early admission, an artisanal cheese station and more. The event begins with a reserved seat at Eat to the Beat in the American Gardens Theatre and your own personal tasting stations. The entertainment are an up close Cirque du Soleil performance right at the party.

There will be a host of Culinary Demonstrations, featuring professional chefs, many who are well known to Disney fans and in their fields, that feature food and wine pairings. These are not too expensive so reserving admission for one or two sounds like a good idea. They are $9 or $13 each and run three times a day at 1, 3 and 5 pm. In addition there will be Wine & Beverage Seminars, like the Culinary programs are 45-minutes each, but whose cost is only $8 or $12 each. They will feature products of selected wineries for learning a few tips of the trade and sampling their wares. These run at 2, 4 and 6 pm. By the way, the Festival Welcome Center will be open from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm each day.

There are also several different free activities that feature culinary-related topics. Authors Without Borders runs from Friday to Sunday at 12:15 pm and 4:00 pm. Here you can listen to authors from the food and beverage industry for 30-minute topic conversations. During Authentic Taste Seminars, also Friday to Sunday but at 2:00 and 6:00 pm, the origins, properties and history of pure ingredients will be the subject presented by experts.

A schedule of Meet and Greets with Book Signings by a celebrated author of the day will be held, as well as Bottle Signings. By the way, with everything happening for the Festival, Epcot Admission is required in addition to any other fees charged. Another free event is the Seasons of the Vine, a 7-minute movie that introduces wine growing. This will be run continuously during the day.

 

And it wouldn't be Disney World without shops to browse and buy. There is the Intermissions Cafe for snacks, wine and cheese, The Stockpot Shop features Festival-related commemorative items, The Cellar for choosing your own bottle from among the 300 wines showcased during the Festival, and the Tasteful Chapters book store. Shopping, by the way, offers great opportunities for building a collection of Festival-related memorabilia. There will be the cookbook, but also a really entertaining poster, bags and cooking items and clothing. This year's poster artist is Tim Rogerson. He will appear from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm at the Festival Gift Shop located near the Canada boat dock. This will happen on October 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, 31 and November 6, 7, 13, and 14.

Sweet Sundays feature a noted pastry chef or baker to demonstrate three signature desserts, a breakfast buffet and sparking wines. The remaining dates of October 17, 24, 31 and Nov. 7 and 14. Personalities from NYS, Washington, Chicago, San Francisco, Beverly Hills, Ontario Canada and Valencia California each have a featured day. This is $85 per period and held on Sundays from 10:00 am to Noon. Celebrating Family & Friends in the Kitchen are three-course lunches demonstrating how to prepare an appetizer, main course and dessert alone with wine pairing. This will be on Fridays, from 10:00 am to Noon and are $110 a person except for the featured event with Iron Chef and Kouzzina host Cat Cora for $140 each. Some other hosts include Robin Miller from the Food Network, Andrew Zimmern of the Travel Channel and Scott Hunnel of Victoria & Albert's.

The highest individual cost events range from $125 per person to $225 per person, plus one at $450 each. The latter is the Culinary Adventure in Signature Dining offered at Victoria & Albert's at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. For $125 you can select Portobello Italian Trattoria and Bongo's Cuban Cafe, both in Downtown Disney and for $140 select from Kouzzina on the BoardWalk and Fulton's Crab House at Downtown. There are a total of 12 restaurants with days remaining at special signature dining at 6:30 pm, paired with wines and featuring what is described as a "glorious culinary experience".

The final major event of Food & Wine are the Eat to the Beat Concert Series with shows in the America Gardens Theatre at 5:15, 6:30 and 7:45 pm. Every two or three days a new performer appears, and for the period remaining until November 14, here are some: Howard Jones, Expose, 38 Special, Night Ranger, Billy Ocean, Starship starring Mickey Thomas, Boyz II Men, Roger Hodgson, Jon Secada, Hanson, Rick Springfield and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.