Tickets are now on sale for the 2019 New Jersey Wine & Food Festival (https://njwinefoodfest.com) at Crystal Springs Resort, taking place April 12 – 14. This prestigious showcase for top culinary talent, winemakers and distilleries from around the world is celebrating its 11th year with a weekend of dinners, wine and spirits tastings, chef demos and more.
The weekend’s events offer something for everyone, from fun, interactive activities incorporating culinary elements such as Wine Yoga and Paso Paint and Sip, to tastings like Rose Champagne with Krug, Dom Perignon and Ruinart or 97 & Above, highlighting top-scoring wines (97 or more on a 100 point scale) to educational seminars such as The Art of Napa Cab to cocktail workshops like Mix it Up with Sagamore Spirits.
Event highlights:
Friday 4/12:
Top Chefs & Top Wines dinner at the newly redesigned Restaurant Latour featuring Crystal Springs Executive Chef Aishling Stevens and two chefs from the current season of Top Chef, David Viana of Heirloom Kitchen and Eddie Konrad of Philadelphia’s Laurel Restaurant, along with new Crystal Springs Resort Pastry Chef Matthew Siciliano. (4/12, 8pm, $295 plus tax & gratuity)
Wine Cellar Dinner with Chef Gabriel Kreuther, chef/owner of Michelin 2-starred Gabriel Kreuther in NYC. Chef Kreuther will be joined by his pastry chef Marc Aumont for an amazing dinner paired with back vintage wines from Crystal Springs’ award-winning Wine Cellar. (4/12, 8pm, $495 plus tax & gratuity)
Saturday 4/13:
9am Wine Yoga Start your day with some morning yoga. After the class, relax with a glass of sparkling wine from Domaine Carneros, refreshed and ready for the day. ($30)
10am Chandon & Donuts learn how to create doughnuts and dress them with the perfect toppings. ($30)
11am The Age of Wines Sommelier Tali Dalbaha will share tips on the practical side of home wine storage, as well as how to source and age wines. A tasting of six wines will showcase a variety of aged wines. ($35)
11am Paso Paint & Sip Learn how Hope Family Wines helped put Paso Robles wines on the map with Jason “JC” Diefenderfer, then create your own masterpiece with hands-on guidance from local artists. ($40)
12pm-3pm Marketplace Lunch Enjoy a feast of seasonal fare prepared by a team of chefs serving up spring dishes, fresh oysters, pasta, carved meats, artisanal cheeses and more, accompanied by the best of New Jersey wines. ($45)
12pm Bistro di Montalcino Follow Alessandra Angelini, proprietor of Wine Spectator Top 100 Winery Caparzo, on a walk through Tuscany’s most celebrated Sangiovese producing wine region, Montalcino, along with a spread of Italian small plates from Springs Bistro Chef Matthew Mulligan. ($40)
1pm The Art of Napa Cab with Nickel & Nickel Through a flight of 6 single-vineyard Nickel & Nickel Cabernets, learn and taste for yourself how vineyards that are in some cases less than a mile apart and growing the same varietal may produce wines of remarkably different character. ($65)
2pm 97 & Above Taste highly rated wines all 97 points or above (on the100 point scale) from Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate ($75)
3pm The Pursuit of Pinot Join Calera winemaker Mike Waller to learn what’s truly special and age-worthy about the Pinot Noirs of Mt Harlan and why the Wine Advocate called Calera “California’s Romanée-Conti.” ($35)
3pm Secrets of the Cellar Explore the secrets of the incomparable Crystal Springs Wine Cellar with C.O.O. Robby Younes during this 90-minute seminar and tasting of some very rare and special wines. ($150)
3pm Rose Champagne Krug, Ruinart, Dom Perignon. Need we say more? ($65)
3pm Mix it Up with Sagamore Spirits Maryland Rye Whiskey is making a comeback – and here’s your chance to mix it up! Taste the line of Sagamore Ryes and try your hand a mixing a classic cocktail. ($30)
4pm Glenfiddich / Balvenie Higher Marks A rare treat for single malt lovers as we taste marks that are 15 years and older from Balvenie and Glenfiddich. ($70)
6:30/7pm – 10pm The Grand Tasting is the Festival’s signature event featuring more than 200 wines from over 50 wineries and bites from 40 top restaurants ($150; VIP $295; VIP admission 6:30pm, General Admission 7pm). Highlights of The Grand Tasting:
- VIP Experience: two floors featuring top restaurants and premium wines, Champagnes and spirits
- Restaurant participants highlight New Jersey’s best including: Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen, Ryland Inn, Batello, Spuntino Wine Bar & Italian Tapas, Crystal Tavern, Osteria Morini, Common Lot, Viaggio, Halifax, Montclair Bread Co, Pig & Prince, 17 Summer Restaurant, Andre’s, Saly G’s, Piattino Neighborhood Bistro and more
- A wide range of wineries and Champagne houses from around the world
10pm – 1am Meet the Chefs and Winemakers After Party at the Biosphere tropical pool complex with open bars, DJ, buffets and more. ($150)
Sunday 4/14:
Champagne Brunch – the Festival wraps up with a Champagne Brunch featuring a sumptuous feast and lots of Champagne (4/14, 10am-1pm, $50 plus tax & gratuity)
The current schedule of events + tickets can be found at www.njwinefoodfest.com. Events take place at Crystal Springs Resort’s Clubhouse at Grand Cascades Lodge located at 1 Wild Turkey Way in Hamburg, NJ.
Recent Comments