Epcot International Food & Wine Festival

Party For the Senses, Epcot International Food and Wine Festival

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Every year I hit the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival with a big appetite and clean palate.

This year I started at First Bites, the kick-off reception on September 29, where I was treated to a somewhat private preview of wines and dishes that would be featured in the kiosks throughout Epcot’s World Showcase. I enjoyed tastes of Brazil’s feijoada (black beans and pork stew) and South Africa’s filet of beef with sweet potatoes, which were my faves, in between cooking demos. After sipping Prosecco, a Cab and Pinot Grigio, I settled on a German Riesling, Dr. L. and bought two bottles at the Cellar, Epcot’s retail wine shop. (Insider tip: When you sample a wine you love, take home a bottle from the Welcome Center’s wine shop because chances are you won’t find it at your local liquor store.)

A couple days later I returned with my Marketplace Discovery Passport in hand. En route, I passed the Cranberry Bog display where guys in waders were knee deep in a pool filled with floating red cranberries (the fruit’s air pockets make it buoyant). At the New Zealand kiosk I picked up two glasses of Sauvignon Blanc—one Mohua and the other Whitehaven. The server stamped my passport—a fun way to keep track of which countries you visit. Sitting on a bench doing my taste test I struck up a conversation with Jeanne and Dan Derenzo from New Jersey. Jeanne told me that they planned their Epcot vacation around the festival and a dinner reservation at Canada’s Le Cellier Steakhouse. “Yup,” she said, “This Saturday was the only day we could get a table. So we booked our flight.”  The three-time festivalgoer was on her way to get a Parisian Cosmo Slush in France.

A week later I found myself back at the park for Saturday evening’s Party for the Senses. A slightly more upscale presentation in a dimly lit space filled with food and wine stations, as well as a stage where Cirque du Soleil performs throughout the evening, the party invites you to sniff, swirl and taste your way through a wealth of wines and specially created dishes. With 56 selections to sample, my first choice was a wine from Alsace; I indulged in a bit of bubbly with a glass of Sparr Cremant Rosé. Making my way through 20 tasting stations (I managed to sample 11 small plates—and yes, I did not eat lunch that day), my top bite was the pan-seared elk loin with roasted garlic risotto, mushrooms and a port reduction from Disney chef Alphonoso Walker. It was crispy on the outside, but tender inside and cut like butter.

Did I get enough? No. I’m going back for the Eat to the Beat Concert Series, which is part of the festival. And wouldn’t you know, the group I want to hear, keeping with the festival theme, has a food-centric name: Sugar Ray.

Tags: Central Florida | Disney | Epcot | First Bites | orlando | Party For the Senses