AL.com: Idyllic 30A gets wine-washed this October with 3rd Annual Harvest Wine & Food Festival

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of spending any time along 30A, you’ve seen paradise. Sugar sands, gorgeous architecture, blush and honey-hued sunsets—it’s all enough to understand just why so many people proudly don everything from 30A-branded hats and sweatshirts to those little sunshine stickers on their cars.

While there’s never a bad time to go to this idyllic stretch of coastal highway, perhaps the best time to experience the Valhalla-esque Gulf Coast region is autumn. The crowds have dispersed, those sunsets are even more breathtaking, and the weather is perfect for strolling barefoot through those iconic white sands. As if all of this weren’t enough, there’s another superb reason to make your way to South Walton, Florida this October - the Harvest Wine & Food Festival! Sips, bites, bids, and unforgettable experiences await along the Emerald Coast from October 24 – October 26, 2019.

Presented by the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation, the Harvest Wine & Food Festival features the world’s premier vintners, proprietors, and award-winning chefs in all their epicurean glory throughout three separate days of unparalleled events. Dreamy coastal views, sparkling conversation, the buttery, golden decadence of a perfectly-oaked Chardonnay, and the sacred salinity of freshly shucked oysters are just a few reasons to mark your calendars for this three-day October event!

Here’s what else is in store along 30A at the Harvest Wine & Food Festival:

Thursday, October 24th

The festival kicks off Thursday evening with several celebrity winemaker dinners held throughout the South Walton area. Each of the wine dinners will feature a special guest celebrity winemaker to educate and entertain guests while expertly pairing the perfect glass of vino with each course. Chef David Bancroft, the owner and chef responsible for Auburn restaurants Acre and Bow & Arrow, will headline a special private dinner pairing Argentinian wines from Catena Zapata. A four-time James Beard Foundation Award semifinalist and the winner of “Iron Chef Showdown,” Chef Bancroft will bring his adventurous, elevated take on Deep South cuisine to one very fortunate Watercolor private residence for a night of storytelling through food.

“We’ll be focusing on providing flavor profiles specific to Argentina, but with local, Southern ingredients. There will be four courses featuring things like beautiful, fresh, chilled oysters with bubbly from Catena Zapata and huge displays of charcuterie,” explains Chef Bancroft. The spread at the sold-out event certainly lends itself to excitement with items like collared green leaf-wrapped sweet potato tamales stuffed with lobster chorizo, Asado beef carved tableside, and bone marrow pot de crème topped with duck crackling streusel.

“There’s definitely going to be a focus on sustainability—with every single component of these dishes being used in as many ways as possible. The bites have been designed to pair specifically with each of Catena Zapata’s featured wines that night, and we’ve made sure to include some special odes to that region with the presence of details like duck (because duck hunting is huge in Argentina) and chimichurri (the number one condiment used in Argentina),” he adds. “We really just hope that our guests enjoy the story we’ll be telling with the food that night and throughout the festival.”

Chef Bancroft is especially looking forward to participating in the Harvest Food and Wine Festival because its stunning location is a place close to his own heart. “I grew up coming to these beaches as a kid. It’s been remarkable to see what this place has become—how it’s grown from a quiet stretch of highway to this beautiful destination,” he says. “When you go to the beach as a kid and as a teenager, you appreciate how special it is but you’re just there to take from it. I love that this is an opportunity to give back to the area.”

The “giving back” Chef Bancroft refers to includes 16 Northwest Florida children’s charities that assist at-risk youth in the local community by tackling a variety of issues including homelessness, food insecurity, mental health, education, medical care, and much more. Now, in its third year, the Festival is put on by the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation (DCWAF), one of the nation’s premier fundraising organizations. Last year, DCWAF raised over $3 million, and with tickets already sold out to several of the celebrity winemaker dinners, year three promises to deliver even more philanthropy to coincide with the elevated cuisine and elegant wines.

The opening evening of the Harvest Wine & Food Festival will also include wine representatives from Gamble Family Vineyards, PRIME Cellars, and ROY Estate.

Friday, October 25th

On Friday, October 25th, the Al Fresco Reserve Tasting held in Marina Park will feature a variety of library wines and soul-soothing jazz. This magical evening stars an array of perfectly paired hors d’oeuvres and live music all encased in a moonlight-dappled ambiance. Chef Bancroft will return for this evening amongst the stars with some special dishes that promise to fuse the comforts of Southern cuisine with his signature creative execution.

“All you can do as a chef is cook your heart out and demonstrate your love of food for the people you’re serving. This event is all about creating and providing a fun, memorable experience so I’m excited to bring some new things I’ve been working on to the folks planning to be there,” says Bancroft.

And because no Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation event is complete without the opportunity to bid high and bid often, Friday kicks off a next-level auction of epic proportions! Boasting an array of rare wines, staycations, and unique experiences, the silent auction opens at 9am Friday, October 25th, and lasts until Sunday, October 28, at noon.

Other award-winning chefs featured this evening include The Rhu’s Kaley Laird from Asheville, Top Chef Judge and Atlanta restauranteur Hugh Acheson, Birmingham chef Kristen Hall, and The While Bull’s Pat Pascarella and Chop Shop butcher Rusty Bowers from Atlanta.

Saturday, October 26th

New to the Festival this year is the Mad About Malbec Wine Seminar. For the first time in the event’s history, guests will be treated to a tour of six different Malbecs from the Bodega Catena Zapata range of wines. All the vino is 100% Malbec, but from various vineyards with prices ranging from $20 to $100. The seminar will highlight the nuances of Malbec wines—from inky blackberry to brighter, jammy plumb flavors with hints of tobacco, milk chocolate, and even molasses. This event begins at noon and will be hosted by Sommelier and Brand Ambassador Marika Vida-Arnold. Experience the subtleties of the Argentinian sips and perhaps even determine your new favorite.

Then, from 1pm to 4pm, the Festival’s pièce de résistance—the sensory wonder of the Grand Tasting—takes place in Cerulean Park. Intended to highlight the harvest season at the beach, the main event of the festival promises a bounty of seafood, barbecue, and provisional stations featuring some of the Southeast’s most prominent celebrity chefs. And, of course, keeping the vino flowing, the Grand Tasting will feature tasting stations with over 250 wines from around the world.

From freshly caught seafood to farm-fresh veggies, delightfully briny cheeses to pillow-soft biscuits, every staple of coastal cuisine is certain to be represented at this epicurean event. In addition to the celebrity chef exhibitions and glimmering reds, whites, and rose, beer and spirits tents will be present throughout the Grand Tasting footprint. And, if you’re concerned about missing the Tide go head to head with the Razorbacks or Auburn battle it out on the gridiron against LSU, rest assured that all VIP tickets earn you access to an exclusive VIP Lounge Area where the games will be on and some seriously elevated tailgate fare will be served.

Taste, bid, and experience the charm of the Emerald Coast during the “off-season.” Be sure to purchase your tickets to the Harvest Wine & Food Festival here to reserve your spot at this truly exceptional event.

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