WINEMAKERS AND SPECIAL GUESTS
Celebrity Winemakers, Chefs, Craft Beer Brew Masters and Special Guests
2019 celebrity winemakers, chefs, craft beer brew masters and special guests are being confirmed as we speak!
We’re happy to announce these special guest but check back soon for new announcements. Spoiler alert…they’re going to be GOOD!
CULINARY VILLAGE
The Food
The 2018 Savor South Walton Culinary Village and Nosh Pavilions offered an array of food tastings, food and wine pairings and access to the people who make these amazing dishes. During the festival weekend, enjoy food prepared by South Walton chefs and local favorites including Chef Scott Plumley, Culinary Director, Wine World Restaurants, Chef Wesley True, Executive Culinary Director, The Gulf Restaurants, and the venerable Yoshie Eddings of Harbor Docks.
2018 Chefs and Special Guests Included:
Chef Scott Plumley, Culinary Director, The Craft Bar, The Wine Bar, and South Walton Beaches Wine & Food Festival
Chef Wesley True, Executive Culinary Director, The Gulf Orange Beach, Alabama, The Gulf Okaloosa, Florida and Season 13 Top Chef Contestant
Chef Yoshie Eddings, Harbor Docks
Chef Ted Morrison, Barefoot’s on the Beachside Bar & Grill, at Hilton Sandestin Beach
Mona B. McGee, Mac Farms
VIP Tastings
VIP Tasting guests enjoyed delectable small plates prepared by favorite local Chefs and sipped the award-winning, prized wines presented and poured by our celebrity winemakers.
A Taste of Grand Boulevard
Another Broken Egg Café
Cantina Laredo Modern Mexican Food
Emeril’s Coastal Italian
everkrisp
Grimaldi’s Coal Brick Oven Pizzeria
Kilwin’s Chocolates, Fudge & Ice Cream
P.F. Chang’s China Bistro
Tommy Bahama’s Restaurant & Bar
The Wine Bar
2018's Scrumptious Cuisine Included:
Craft Beer & Spirits Jam: Friday
Enjoy scrumptious small plates on EATS STREET at this year’s Craft Beer & Spirits Jam provided by local favorites, including:
Brotula’s Seafood House & Steamer
Cabana Café
Café Rico
Cantina Laredo Modern Mexican Food
Cuveé Kitchen & Wine Bar
Jackacuda’s Seafood & Sushi
Roux 30A
Slick Lips Seafood & Oyster House
The Bistro at the Courtyard Marriott Sandestin at Grand Boulevard
The Craft Bar
Culinary Tent: Saturday & Sunday
Presented by The Wine Bar
Alabama Goat Cheese Fritters, San Marzano Tomato Sauce
Avocado Sourdough, Marinated Baby Tomatoes, Aleppo Pepper
Presented by The Craft Bar
Heureux Beef Slider, Aged Gouda, Tomato-Bacon Marmalade, Coastal Blue Farms Micro Arugula
Low Country Shrimp & Grits, Conecuh Sausage, Shellfish Nage, Collard Greens
Rosé All Day Garden: Saturday & Sunday
Presented by Chef Wesley True
Beets with whipped blue cheese, onions, cucumber and thyme in a lemon vegetable broth
2019 WINE & FOOD SEMINARS INCLUDE:
Enjoy a preview of our 2019 seminars. We are planning additional seminars as we speak so check back for exciting details as we are able to announce them and purchase your tickets today!
Entrance into the Tasting Seminars is included with your Grand Tasting ticket. Seating is first come, first serve.
The Tasting Seminar Stage is presented by Festival Founding Partner, Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa.
Bill Samuels, Jr. - Marker's Mark
Saturday, April 27
1:30 - 2:15 p.m.
Bill Samuels, Jr.
From Kentucky Whisky Pioneers to Iconic Industry Transformations – The Maker’s Mark Way
On Saturday, April 27, Bill Samuels, Jr. of Maker’s Mark will kick off the festival Tasting Seminars. Maker’s Mark began with one families quest to create a bourbon they enjoyed drinking and sharing with friends. That’s hardly revolutionary today, in 1953 it changed an industry. Bill Samuels, Jr. turned his parents’ little company into an icon and helped create a more flavorful version of their bourbon. Along the way, he rewrote the rules of marketing and set Kentucky’s bourbon industry on a path to growth and success. Enjoy the journey and stories of this visionary Whisky Hall of Famer.
Michael Landis, Institut de Fromage,
Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28
2:45 - 3:30 p.m.
Michael Landis
The Perfect Pair(ing)
Enjoy tantalizing pairings of award-winning cheeses, meats and more to perfectly pair with wine. Presented by Gourmet Foods International and Jackson Family Wines, join world-renowned cheese expert and educator Michael Landis as he presents a sampling of the American Cheese Society’s Medal-winning cheeses. As the Director of Education for the Institut du Fromage, Landis has been teaching food and beverage pairings for more than 20 years. He is an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional and authorized Educator, Court of Master Sommelier, certified Cicerone beer server and was inducted into the International Guilde des Fromages in 2011. Enjoy selected wines poured to compliment the cheeses and meats.
Jackson Family Wines will provide the perfect wines to pair with the perfect wine foods. Stay tuned for more information about their featured wineries and wines.
Mollie Battenhouse MW, Jackson Family Wines
Eugenia Keegan, Jackson Family Wines
Erik Kramer, WillaKenzie Estate
Sunday, April 28
1:30 - 2:15 p.m.
Left to Right: Mollie Battenhouse, Eugenia Keegan, Erik Kramer
The Origin and Evolution of Oregon Wines
In a discussion of the history and dynamic landscape of Oregon wines, Master of Wine, Mollie Battenhouse, will be joined by WillaKenzie Estate Winemaker, Erik Kramer, and Jackson Family Wines’ Oregon General Manager, Eugenia Keegan. Seminar guests will explore the history of Oregon terroir and viticulture as well as the artistry and science behind the winemaking, as showcased by wines from the celebrated producers WillaKenzie Estate, Gran Moraine and Penner-Ash Wine Cellars.
