Twelve wines, four plates, three sommeliers, one perfect pairing. The popular Somm Throwdown, which tests the skill of sommeliers for the enjoyment of attendees, goes down Oct. 14, midway through the ninth annual Martha’s Vineyard Food and Wine Festival.
The festival runs from Oct. 13 to Oct. 16 with events all over Edgartown. From the Grand Tasting, which will host up to 700 people, to the Cheese and Charcuterie Seminar and the Bourbon Dinner, there is something for everyone (age 21 and older, of course).
Foodies may enjoy the Bourbon Dinner where Island private chef Shane Tank from Premier Chef Services will prepare a five course meal of bourbon-inspired dishes paired with bourbon cocktails.
Dishes may include components like warm bourbon bacon dressing, bourbon-soaked chanterelles, and bourbon-mascarpone mochi.
Others might turn to a tasting. There are three tasting events over the weekend, including an heirloom apple seminar.
Created by the Edgartown Board of Trade to extend the season for Edgartown restaurateurs and hoteliers, the festival concentrates on Island food and wine.
“We do have some visiting chefs coming from off the Island, but obviously we’re doing our best to showcase local culinary talent,” festival director Dawn Curtis Hanley said.
A new event this year is the Sunday Brunch hosted by television personality Jenny Johnson, the co-host of Dining Playbook of NESN. A panel of Island farmers and fishermen will discuss the Vineyard’s food initiatives.
“Jenny founded a sparkling wine called Champy, so it will be a fun bloodies and bubbles brunch,” Ms. Curtis Hanley said.
The festival this year focuses on a wide range of Island food, she said, and planners talked with food trucks, a taco shop, long-standing restaurants and markets while putting the festival together.
“There’s diversity,” said. “There’s so many interesting culinary offerings on the Vineyard, and every year that’s what the festival tries to highlight.”
The festival benefits Island Grown Schools and the Agricultural Society’s Farmers Program. Tickets are available at mvfoodandwine.com.
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