Asheville WIne and Food Festival This Weekend

August 19 - 20, 2016    Asheville Wine and Food Festival   The festival begins with "Sweet" on the 19th, a decadent evening of desserts, sparkling wines, and beer at The Historic Grove Arcade. 

The Grand Tasting  is held at the US Cellular Center. Experience a remarkable variety of local and international wineries, local Beer City and area breweries, restaurateurs and chefs, farmers, and artisan food producers. Meet farmers, chefs, cookbook authors, and artisan beverage makers, as well as regional crafters. 

Culinary events will take place throughout the day including Blind Wine & Beer Tasting and Winery Competitions. 

At this festival you will see why Asheville is rated among the best food and wine experiences in the country. The Asheville Wine and Food Festival helps fund the Asheville Independent Restaurant Association.

Asheville Cocktail Week Tickets NOW Available

May 4 - 8, 2016 Asheville Cocktail Week returns. Get your tickets NOW for this popular event.

Launched in 2009, ASHEVILLE FEST celebrates several signature events.  Asheville Cocktail Week brings a dozen events over an expanded week, including Cocktail Theater, Spirit Dinners, Cinco de Mayo Afterparty, Guided Cocktail Tours, a "Derby Party", and a Best Bloody Mary Contest during which 15 Asheville Bars will serve a weeks worth of their very best to claim the title of Best Bloody Mary in Asheville Fest as voted by consumers.

The Southeastern Distilling Expo is the largest gathering of Southeastern Distilleries in one location. This is an industry expo invite for owners, managers and bartenders.

ELIXIR, in its fourth year, promises to bring yet another exciting evening of collaboration between the distilleries and local bar talent. Open to the public, this event provides a fun environment for the customers to get in front of bartenders making sample drinks in a structured competition environment, supporting their current bar tenders and discovering new favorites.

SWEET offers a decadent evening of desserts on Friday, again at the Historic Grove Arcade and the GRAND TASTING on Saturday is a smorgasbord of food, wine, beer, and spirits, culinary demonstrations, and a chance to meet authors, farmers, chefs, winemakers, brewers, and much, much more. If you are interested in the the Grand Tasting VIP event, know that an entire floor has been set aside that afternoon just for you! Come sample the best food scene in the south.

Get complete details for the  
Asheville Wine and Food Festival HERE

Find Asheville NC lodging, attractions and visitor information on our Asheville NC Visitor Guide.

 

The Popular Asheville Wine and Food Festival 2015 This Weekend

August 20 - 22, 2015    Asheville Wine and Food Festival for 2015  Held at the US Cellular Civic Center in downtown Asheville, the festival begins with "Elixir", a craft cocktail experience and mixology competition. 

"Sweet" is a decadent evening of desserts, champagne, wine, spirits and shopping. 

The Grand Tasting offers a delicious celebration and sampling of a wide variety of Asheville's food and beverages. The finals of the WNC Chef's Challenge is the conclusion of this popular competition. 

At this festival you will see why Asheville NC is rated among the best food and wine experiences in the country. 

The Asheville Wine and Food Festival helps fund the Asheville Independent Restaurant Association.

Asheville Wine and Food Festival Introduces New Competitions for 2015

2015 brings a New Culinary Excitement to Asheville 

AMUSE and ESSENCE - the newest artesian experience in Asheville. Distilleries, Mixologists and Chefs. The chefs are bringing their best culinary talents and the mixologists are presenting their best creativity. You taste and judge the best chef and best mixologist. 

The top chefs move on to the GRAND TASTING at the US Cellular Center and the top mixologists get to expand their performance at ELIXIR. 

What is AMUSE? AMUSE is culinary artistry and showmanship preselected by the chef and mixologists, intensified by the competition and emphasizing smaller, more intensely flavored courses. “The amuse-bouche is the best way for a great chef to express his or her big ideas in small bites.” May 1, 2015 from 6:00 - 8:00 PM at the Morris Hellenic Cultural Center. 

Why ESSENCE? Essence of Food and Drink can be found in the fusion of flavors making each dish and cocktail unique. Fresh local ingredients are presented for your enjoyment. June 26, 2015 from 6:00 - 8:00 PM at the Morris Hellenic Cultural Center. The list of renown mixologists will again compete to give you the most creative and flavorful spirits to lift yours. From the aperitif to the nightcap, samples will be provided by competitors to give you a taste of regional talent. 

Meet the distilleries in North Carolina, including moonshine from Troy & Sons in Asheville, Cardinal Gin from Southern Artisan Spirits in Kings Mountain, Rum from Muddy River Distillery in Belmot, Apple Moonshine from Petzold Distilleries, Howling Moon in Asheville, and TOPO Organic Spirits from Top of the Hill Distillery in Chapel Hill and more. 

Come and enjoy the food and sample wonderful drinks and spirits. Chefs and Mixologists will compete to see who will be represented at ELIXIR and at the GRAND TASTING. The 2015 ELIXIR event is on Thursday, August 20 and the GRAND TASTING is August 22 at the US Cellular Center. Think of this as Theater. Purchase your tickets today: ashevillewineandfood.com 

Boilerplate: You will be noshing on award-winning amuse-bouche small plates provided by acclaimed Asheville Chefs for your pleasure. Meet the distilleries producing regionally and national brands and sample their spirits. A host of area bars and regional distillers will be on hand to serve samples of their latest and greatest concoctions. Watch locally recognized mixologists step out from behind the bar and into the spotlight for a mixology competition of craft spirits. 

During AMUSE (May 1) and ESSENCE (June 26), the competing Chefs and Mixologists will be judged by you, the attendee, to determine who will get a chance to be at ELIXIR. You get to enjoy the spirits, the food, and the action. 

Buy your tickets on-line or Contact: Kris Kraft, Festival Director contactasheville@gmail.com (828) 200-1502 and Melissa Mathews, PR/Marketing mmathews.email@gmail.com (828) 545-2511 or find more information at: www.ashevillewineandfood.com   (adults 21+ only).

Asheville Wine and Food Festival "Sweet" Tickets now on Sale

Get your tickets NOW for the Asheville Wine and Food Festival's SWEET 2014. On August 22, you can enjoy an evening of  "Delectables and Delights". Music, Drink, Desserts and Fun at the Historic Grove Arcade in downtown Asheville NC.

SWEET is a decadent evening of desserts, sparkling wines, wine, beer, spirits and shopping...to name a few of your favorite things. Chocolates, cakes, tarts, pastries and more, all enjoyed with a glasse of sparkling wine, beer, or spirits.

Local bakers, chocolatiers, pâtissiers, wine vendors, brewers and distillers will line the corridors of the architectural wonder that is the Grove Arcade. The shops will stay open late, giving you the opportunity to shop for handmade crafts, jewelry, furnishings, and more while you indulge and enjoy the evening's music.

CLICK HERE to buy tickets NOW.

Asheville Wine and Food Festival this Weekend

August 23-25   Asheville Wine and Food Festival   The festival features a mixologist contest, a wine competition, culinary demonstrations, the WNC Chefs Challenge, "Sweet", countless opportunities to meet, greet, and learn from area culinary experts, and plenty of tasty products to purchase and take home – plus, a fashion show of designer culinary and dinner apparel.

The Festival brings together the finest regional, national, and international wines, exceptional local restaurants, craft beer and spirits, and handcrafted artisanal foods for three days of palate-pleasing indulgence. This highly anticipated event, recognized by the New York Post as one of the best of its kind, is held in the heart of the city’s lively downtown, where festival-goers will find a treasure of independent, farm-to-table restaurants and a colorful street performer on every corner, from musicians to magicians to living statues.

The Grand Tasting on Saturday from 1:30- 5 PM will showcase area chefs, wineries, farmers, and artisan food producers.  General admission ticket holders will have several hours to sip, sample, and shop. Asheville and the surrounding area boast award-winning chefs and restaurants, many whom you’ll have the chance to meet. Wine producers and distributors will be on hand as well, letting guests sample local, regional, and national labels.

Get a link for tickets and more details for the Asheville Wine and Food Festival and other Asheville festivals on the Asheville NC Visitor Guide.

"Sweet" at the Asheville Wine and Food Festival

August 24   Sweet   The Asheville Wine and Food Festival's most decadent event is an after-dinner fête in the historic Grove Arcade featuring locally-sourced desserts, specialty cocktails, champagne, and elegant live music. Many of the Arcade shops stay open for some after-hours shopping. 

The Grove Arcade  was built by E.W. Grove, the visionary and creator of the Grove Park Inn, and opened in 1929 thriving until World War II as one of the country's leading public markets. Asheville's historically renovated Grove Arcade has once again returned as a destination featuring the best the region has to offer from fabulous foods to delicious dining and local crafts. The wonderful design and architecture alone are worth a trip to Asheville. The Arcade is located at 1 Page Avenue, downtown Asheville NC.

WNC Chef Challenge Semi-finals

August 14  WNC Chef Challenge Semi-finals: Knife and Fork VS L.A.B. (Lexington Avenue Brewery) Chefs battle for the championship and dinner guests will receive six courses (3 from each team) and will participate in scoring the dishes to determine the winner of the Chef Challenge Semifinals. Special wines are selected based on the "Secret" ingredient and are available for purchase along with beers and cocktails. 

August 16   WNC Chef Challenge Semi-finals: Stewart Lyon (Boca), David Ryba (Inn on Biltmore Estate)  

With 10 teams  eliminated in previous competitions, The final 4 teams and competitors are: Returning 2011 Champion Nate Allen (Knife & Fork), Stewart Lyon (Boca), David Ryba (Inn on Biltmore Estate) and Jason Roy (Lexington Avenue Brewery.) The Century Room on the Park, located above Pack’s Tavern on 20 South Spruce Street in Asheville, will serve as host for the dinners on August 14 and 16. Tickets for the Semi-Finals are $49 and include the six plated culinary creations from the chefs, but not  alcohol, tax or gratuities.

The grand finale  competition will kick off the WNC Magazine Asheville Wine & Food Festival on Thursday, August 23 to determine  the “Best Chef in WNC” for 2012.

Get a link for the WNC Chefs Challenge and other Asheville events on the Asheville NC Visitor Guide.