Past Issues: Travel with the Wine Skinny:
2000 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival

If you think you know Disney, but have never experienced the Epcot Food and Wine Festival, think again. One of the things you may not know is that Walt Disney World has 107 certified sommeliers -- more than any other company in the world. In other words, wine is a big deal here!

The fifth annual Festival held last October and November featured more than 100 wineries and foods from 30 nations. During the day, the festival goes outdoors and focuses on dozens of international food and wine marketplaces. Special evening experiences include Reserve Dinners, Winemaker Dinners and Grand Tastings that include wines from featured wineries and cuisine from Disney and guest celebrity chefs. Each day of the festival includes free culinary demonstrations and wine seminars that allow Epcot guests to interact with some of the world’s finest chefs, winemakers and culinary experts.

WORLD SHOWCASE MARKETPLACES
During the festival, marketplaces located around Epcot World Showcase offer food and wine from more than thirty countries. Guests have the chance to get up close with chefs and vintners and experience wine and cuisine from around the world – all in one place. Here are a few of the highlights we experienced:

At the Brazil & Argentina marketplace, we sampled Grilled Chicken with Farofa (a Brazilian grain dish) along with an Etchart Torrontes, a dry white wine.

At the Switzerland & Austria marketplace, it was Raclette with either potato or bundnerfleisch, an air-dried beef. The wine was a lovely Lenz Moser Grüner Veltliner.

On to Poland (a mere 50 yards away), where we nibbled on kulebiak (little savory pastries) and pierogis with kielbasa while slurping Parducci Chardonnay.

How much fun is this? The marketplaces go on and on, around the lagoon and around the world.

WINEMAKER AND RESERVE DINNERS
Throughout the festival month, there are a number of vintner dinners that feature courses from Disney and guest chefs served with the wines of a particular winemaker, who attends the dinner and offers insight about the wines and food pairings. Highlights from this year’s lineup included:

We attended the Beyond Tuscany dinner that featured, in addition to a lovely setting, a series of impressive wines from the Piedmont region of Italy, and one beautifully prepared course after another. The first course of marinated sea bass, calamari, and black mussels served over a fennel and tangerine slaw (yes, it was a first course!). The seafood was impeccable and the slaw offered a bright citrusy crunch. It was paired with a light Gavi di Gavi, which you don’t see everyday and was appreciated all around. The subsequent four courses were equally triumphant and the wines progressed to a smooth Barbera d’Asti to a bold Barbaresco and finally, a majestic Barolo.

CULINARY DEMONSTRATIONS AND WINE SEMINARS
Every day of the month long festival, there are a number of cooking demonstrations and wine seminars that are offered free as a part of the festival admission price. These seminars were some of the best we’ve ever attended, especially the one led by Thierry Gardinier, winemaker at Bordeaux’s Château Phélan Ségur.

RESTAURANTS
In our few days at the festival, we packed in as many fantastic restaurant experiences as possible, and it seems we didn’t even scratch the surface! Here’s the scoop on two of the best:

Coral Reef Restaurant
The menu at the Coral Reef is every bit as dazzling as the under water view of the 5-million-gallon aquarium wall that dominates the restaurant. Appetizers like the Seared Jumbo Scallop served over bacon hash and topped with crème fraîche and caviar, or Grilled Alligator Sausage jumbled with a creole vinaigrette, watercress, olives, and grape tomatoes are merely a preview for the entrées to come. Tuck into Sautéed Tilapia or the Grilled Rib-Eye served with herb roasted potatoes, buttermilk onion rings, and veal jus, and revel in the innovative combinations of super fresh ingredients that Chef John Clark offers. The wine list is equally creative, offering an array of well-chosen wines that complement the cuisine. We were pleased to see some interesting choices – from the Kuent-Bas 1997 Gewürztraminer to a selection of Gary Farrell wines, there is something for everyone here. Prices are reasonable, quality is outstanding.

Flying Fish Café
The icing on the cake had to be the Flying Fish Café. We dined here on our last night at Epcot, after several days of excellent wining and dining. It was going to be tough to top what we’d already experienced. But I have to say that this dinner was my favorite. It started with an array of appetizers that included Peeky Toe Crab Cakes with Ancho-Chile Rèmoulade and Buttermilk Fried Oysters with Andouille Barbecue sauce and Chipotle Aïoli. Outstanding! And it didn’t hurt that they were served alongside Marcelina 1997 Chardonnay, one of our favorites. The menu features such standout entrées as Butternut Squash Ravioli with truffle nectar, fennel jam, and sage-brown butter and Oak Grilled Atlantic Salmon served with spinach, balsamic onions, and polenta. Decadent desserts include the beautiful Banana Napolean, offering layers of crispy phylllo, vanilla crème brûlée and warm caramel sauce. Plus, we were told that we were sitting in the very booth that Aerosmith prefers when they drop by. Heaven.

GRAND TASTING
The Grand Tasting was an elegant and intimate affair, showcasing twenty or so wineries and about a dozen food stations. A refreshing change to those gigantic free-for-alls housed in convention centers, this evening gives attendees the chance to linger over freshly prepared sampler plates of outstanding dishes like Veal Cheek and Chicken Terrine with warm potato, asparagus and wild mushroom salad from Michael Schlow of Boston’s Radius. Or Pan Seared Lamb Carpaccio with a Tuscan bean salad from Disney Chef Wendy Welcovitz. Standout wines being poured included the Kenwood 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Jack London, Château Phélan Ségur 1995 St.-Estephe, Robert Mondavi 1997 Chardonnay Reserve, and Joseph Phelps 1998 Le Mistral, among many others.

All in all, the Epcot event is first class. From the venue to the organizers to the wineries and chefs, wine lovers will enjoy every aspect of this truly unique experience.