18 | VIPDestinMagazine.com
story by
Liesel Schmidt
| photos provided by
Sandestin Wine Festival
unning from April 11 through the 14, the 33rd annual
Sandestin Wine Festival is a highly anticipated event that
draws so many vendors, attractions, and festival goers
that it’s been hailed as the “Kentucky Derby of Wine
Festivals,” deserving of much fanfare and expectation.
And though one might easily presume it to be largely a local
attraction, the scale—not to mention the renown of some of the chefs,
vintners, and vineyards—have gained it a reputation as being one
of the top wine festivals in the country, bringing in countless souls
whose predilection for wine seems to ripen like grapes on the vine
under the warmth of the Florida sun.
The full-bodiedness of the experience is a top priority at the wine
festival, with no shortage of opportunities to taste, smell, sip, and
savor provided at every turn as The Village of Baytowne Wharf
becomes transformed to a veritable village of tents offering everything
from cooking demonstrations by award-winning chefs and samples of
delicious foods to wine tastings and informative presentations given
by various wine experts and representatives from vineyards across the
globe.
“One of the reasons that the wine festival is such a popular and
highly-regarded event is that it brings together a wide range of unique
experiences for all guests, regardless of whether or not they know
much about wine,” says The Village of Baytowne Wharf Events
Manager Leighann Elliott. Even still, one could hardly leave after
the weekend without having learned something. “The sheer amount
of expertise gathered here during the event is absolutely amazing,
and that’s one of the things that really fortifi es the festival as a draw
for people who truly love wine and want to know more about what
they’re tasting and what makes the quality wines stand out.”
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