IF YOU GO
Tybee Wine Festival, presented by the Tybee Post Theater
April 22-26
Events include the "Celebration of Earth & Vine" dinner with wine pairings at 7 p.m. April 22 at Tybee Wedding Chapel (1114 U.S. 80), $85 per person; the "Art of Pairing" dinner, 7 p.m. April 23 at the Tybee Island Social Club (1311 Butler Ave.), $75; the "Evening of Oysters & Wine" event at 6:30 p.m. April 24 at Marlin Monroe's Surfside Grill (404 Butler Ave.), $40; the Grand Tasting from 3 to 6 p.m. April 25 at the Tybee Island Light Station (30 Meddin Drive), $55; and the Champagne Brunch from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. April 26 at the Crab Shack (40 Estill Hammock Road), $35. For complete details or to buy tickets, see tybeewinefestival.com.
Other food/wine festivals
Austin Food & Wine Festival, April 24-26, austinfoodandwinefestival.com
Charlotte Wine & Food Weekend, May 9, charlottewineandfood.org
New Orleans Wine & Food Experience, May 20-23, nowfe.com
Chattanooga Wine Over Water festival, Oct. 2-3. (Tickets are on sale starting June 15). wineoverwater.com.
EVENT PREVIEW
The Atlanta Food & Wine Festival is planned for May 28-31 and features an extensive list of dining events, classes and tasting tents. Tickets range from the $185 day pass to the $2,000 three-day "Connoisseur" pass. The calendar is so comprehensive that the event has its own app. See information on that, buy tickets and make your game plan at atlfoodandwinefestival.com. Be sure to follow the AJC in print and online for more coverage of this festival.
Metro Atlanta gourmands no doubt have the fifth annual Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, to be held May 28-31, engraved onto their calendars. The popular and growing celebration of plate and palate, which drew a crowd of around 9,000 throughout the festival dates last year, will feature a full roster of events including tastings, dinners and classes.
Top culinary talent hailing from throughout the South will join notable Atlanta chefs including Anne Quatrano, Kevin Rathbun, Linton Hopkins, Gerry Klaskala, Kevin Gillespie, Asha Gomez, Shaun Doty, Virginia Willis, Todd Richards and Ford Fry for a four-day extravaganza of fine sips and nibbles.
“We look at Atlanta as the gateway to the epicurean South,” said festival co-founder and CEO Dominique Love. “It’s very easy to get to Atlanta, and it makes us the perfect location to convene all the talent. We have great community support. Our mission is to shine an international spotlight on the rich culinary tradition from Texas to (Washington) D.C. We are trying to get people to eat, drink and explore the region.”
Tybee Island
Speaking of eating, drinking and exploring, if you're up for a road trip, the Southeast region boasts a bountiful calendar of food and wine festivals this year. On Tybee Island, locals and visitors alike are looking forward to the seventh annual Tybee Island Wine Festival, planned for April 22-26.
Sarah and Kurtis Schumm have been fans of the event in years past. This year, they’re joining the fun by hosting an event during the five-day festival.
“Savannah is having an exciting year culinarily,” Sarah Schumm said, referencing Hugh Acheson’s new spot, the Florence, and the Grey, located in Savannah’s former Greyhound bus station. “Tybee is getting a lot of exposure, being Savannah’s backyard.”
The Schumms own three restaurants on the island just off the coast of Savannah, including the popular Tybee Social Club restaurant, where a five-course dinner themed “Art of Pairing” will be one of several events surrounding the festival. The main event is the Grand Tasting at the Tybee Island Light Station.
“The grand wine tasting is really fun for the community,” Kurtis Schumm said. “When you have a glass of wine in hand and you can walk around and see friends, it’s about as good as it gets.”
The seventh annual Tybee Wine Festival supports the Tybee Post Theater, a historic building poised for renovation and revitalization. It was built in 1930 as a movie theater for soldiers stationed at Fort Screven, and organizers envision a new life as a cultural arts venue.
“We love this place,” Sarah Schumm said. “We believe in having a community theater. Drinking wine to make that happen is a pretty sweet deal.”
Jim Kluttz, president of the Friends of Tybee Theater board of directors, said the wine festival perfectly matches Tybee’s easygoing, welcoming vibe.
“It’s really simple,” he said. “It’s a fun, casual time.”
Organizers expect between 700 and 800 for the grand tasting.
“We could sell more tickets but we don’t,” Kluttz said. “We’ve made the decision we’re not going to crowd people in.”
Charlotte, N.C.
About four hours north of Atlanta (depending on traffic), the Charlotte Wine & Food Weekend includes two events and benefits several charities.
“What’s better than drinking fine wine in the name of charity?” executive director Dockery Clark mused.
The main event is "Big Bottles & Blues," planned for 6:30 p.m. May 9 at Founders Hall in Charlotte's Uptown. Tickets are $125.
The event benefits area charities including Charlotte Concerts, Council for Children’s Rights, Pat’s Place Child Advocacy Center, Safe Alliance and Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, according to the event’s website. Organizers expect an enthusiastic crowd of locals as well as road trippers.
“We created a casual, fun atmosphere with live music and brought in wine participants from around the world with hopes of drawing in charitable residents and visitors from miles away,” board chairman David Furr said in a statement.
Patrons ages 21 to 25 might consider the “Young Aficionados” event, affording access to “Big Bottles & Blues” and also including wine tutorials. Those tickets are $75.
And true oenophiles may want to reserve VIP tickets for $250. They include a pre-event dinner with champagne reception at Aria, part of the Founders Hall property.
Chattanooga, Tenn.
If your spring and summer are already booked, the Chattanooga Wine Over Water festival is 5-8 p.m Oct. 3. Sample sips from more than 100 wineries while strolling along the Walnut Street Bridge. Fun festival facts: "Built in 1890, it's one of the world's longest pedestrian bridges and was the first bridge to link Downtown Chattanooga to the North Shore. It is also the first non-military highway bridge to cross the Tennessee River."
Wine Over Water benefits Cornerstones, a nonprofit historic preservation organization.
Best Cellars, a festival preview gala, is planned for 5:30-8 p.m. Oct. 2 at the Chattanoogan Hotel. This exclusive event features 150 premium wines paired with heavy hors d’oeuvres, along with a silent auction. Tickets go on sale June 15.
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