In case you haven’t heard, there’s a HUGE, HAPPENING Wine + Food Festival May 14-18.  50 events + 20 fascinating food, beer + wine related educational courses.  4 days of international, national, regional and local food and wine excellence with 90+ chefs and 20+ winemakers from 6 continents – all creating one unforgettable weekend.   Each of the MidAtlantic Wine + Food Festival events occur in unique settings ~ mansions, private homes of distinction and other uncommon spots from the Mainline to the Delaware Beaches.  Craft beer buffs, wine aficionados, spirit enthusiasts and foodie fiends will be delighted with this year’s event line up.

Unfortunately, there’s no way on earth you could go to every event. So we thought we’d make it easy for you by creating “NDH’s  Top 10 Most Intriguing Events of the Festival”… in our opinion!   We enjoy surprises and flourish in more relaxed party settings. So, these events are right up our alley.  Some have an element of obscurity~ a mysterious location or a hint of possible twists and plot~some have an interactive element~ (you never know what that might lead to) and let’s face it, some of these events are just plain fun and unassuming!  We also kept budget in mind and considered events that offered the best bang for the buck.  Remember, only the events held in New Castle County are considered for this Top 10 list.

OUR EVENT FAVS

INTERACTIVE SUSHI + SAKE LUNCH PRESENTED BY DUPONT

Roll your own sushi during this interactive lunch led by master sushi chefs from the Cultured Pearl Restaurant and Sushi Bar and moderated by a sake expert. Customize your own rolls – even vegetarian and gluten-free options available – and sample Japan’s most famous fermentation. This event will take place in the spacious Commons area in downtown Wilmington’s newly-renovated library.

WSFS BANK SOFT SHELL CRAB NOUVEAU

Only in this region, do soft shell crabs appear on menus during the first full moon in May … and the MAWFF is bringing them to you in the spirit of “le … nouveau est arrivé!” (but with craft beers!) and with all the proper accompaniments at the Buena Vista estate. A tasting with cocktail seating, food stations and beer pairings.

WILMINGTON TRUST SCOTCH + CIGARS DINNER

Enjoy a custom-designed four-course dinner, taste five scotches and smoke the cigar provided by the Festival–and any special cigar(s) you bring along–in the covered Courtyard at the Hilton Wilmington/Christiana. The scotch tasting will be moderated by Russ Kempton, one of the country’s top scotch experts, along with Bill Sullivan, one of Delaware’s top cigar aficionados. You will not be disappointed by these two storytellers.

US FOODS CHOP ‘EM! CULINARY WINNERS’ SHOWCASE

Delaware’s culinary schools have been holding in competitions to determine who is the best culinary student. Cheer on the winners as they work with professional chef mentors on a final meal to celebrate the culmination of the competitions.

POP-UP FOOD TRUCK NIGHT MARKET

You never know when or where a food truck will pop up. The food truck night market and craft beer event will be held in the central hub of downtown Wilmington, Delaware. Come out and enjoy local entertainers, sample tastes from a handful of food truck vendors, along with several local craft beer brewers.

INFUSED BEER TAPAS DINNER

A 4-course tapas-style dinner with specially-infused beer created to complement the menu. This Newark gastropub has created a tool that allows them to marry the food and beer palates so closely, it will be hard to tell them apart. Fresh ingredients are infused into the beer to reflect the food’s flavor profile, creating the ultimate merger of foodie and beer geek heaven.

WSFS BANK SWEET + STICKY

Liz Taylor and Betty Boop would have approved of this dessert and wine tasting at Pizza by Elizabeths. Sample four beautifully-made desserts, perfectly paired with dessert wines, such as Tokaji, Sauterne and Icewine.

MYSTERY WINE TASTING ON THE FARM

Enjoy a poolside blind tasting with all the fun of a scavenger hunt.  You’ll be assigned to a team* of four, and your team will receive a tasting sheet. At several stations situated around the pool, you’ll blindly taste a handful of wines — see if you can match what you’ve tasted to what’s described on the tasting sheet. Small prizes, guest speakers, light refreshments to nosh on and transportation is included.

CAPITAL ONE SUNDAY GOSPEL BRUNCH

Restaurants take brunch to a new level with exotic treatments of the most important meal of the day. You’ll sample 80 wines, spirits and beers from around the world, and your spirits will be lifted by the rousing sounds of the 60-member Combined Choir of the Calvary Baptist Church, returning to the stage of World Café Live at The Queen, by popular demand.

DELMARVA POWER BBQ + BEER GARDEN

Sample a variety of BBQ classics carefully crafted by local carnivore kings, while sampling regional craft beers from breweries within the MidAtlantic area.

To find out more about these events and others, to buy tickets or to read about the 90+ chefs and Winemakers go here.

ABOUT MAWFF

The MidAtlantic Wine + Food Festival™ began as an independent festival in 2013.The purpose of the MidAtlantic Wine + Food Festival is to be the premier food and wine event of the MidAtlantic featuring international vintners and chefs in collaboration with our local talent, to bring tourism to Delaware, and to increase awareness of our cultural assets.

The Festival’s inaugural year included 42 events, chefs and winemakers from five continents, and attracted 4,328 ticketholders from 16 states and nine countries. The Festival gave many ticketholders rare access to private homes, historic estates and world-class venues, including the Annie Jump Cannon House, Mt. Cuba Center, Oberod Estate, the Delaware Art Museum, The Grand Opera House (on stage!) and World Cafe Live at The Queen, resulting in extraordinary experiences.Following the inaugural year, the Festival-supporting Wine Guild lent its support to wildly successful year-two preview events.

Our goal for year two is to draw more attention to the region, provide ticketholders with unforgettable experiences, celebrate talent from six continents and generate some funding to support the mission of local charities, including the Festival itself.The Festival is the beneficiary of a generous two-year capacity-building grant from the Longwood Foundation. MidAtlantic Wine and Food Festival, Limited, is a Delaware nonprofit.