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. 

images courtesy of Asheville WIne & Food Festival

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

Enjoy Asheville Cocktail Week and 21 Amazing Bloody Marys

Asheville Cocktail Week returns.  Get your tickets NOW for this popular event.

Best Bloody Mary Contest continues for a FULL WEEK, from May 1 to May 8, 2016.  Your Vote Determines the Winners.  Twenty-One Asheville Bars will be serving their very best Bloody Mary to claim the title of Asheville Cocktail Week “Best Bloody Mary”, all culminating end of week on May 8 for final results.

Visit any or ALL of the contestants for the Best Bloody Mary: 

• Bens Tune Up
  195 Hilliard Ave, Asheville, NC
• Biscuit Head
  417 Biltmore Ave #4F, Asheville NC
  733 Haywood Rd, Asheville NC
• Buffalo Nickel
  Address: 747 Haywood Rd, Asheville, NC
• Carmels
  1 Page Ave, Asheville, NC  
• Early Girl
  8 Wall St, Asheville, NC
•  Junction
  348 Depot St #190, Asheville, NC
•  King Daddy's Chicken & Waffles
  444 Haywood Rd #101, Asheville, NC
•  Luellas
  501 Merrimon Ave, Asheville, NC
•  Mayfels
  22 College St, Asheville, NC
•  Over Easy
  32 Broadway, Asheville, NC
•  Salsa's
  6 Patton Ave, Asheville, NC
•  Smokey Park Supper Club
  350 Riverside Dr, Asheville, NC
•  Stoney Knob Cafe
  337 Merrimon Ave, Weaverville, NC
•  Strada
  27 Broadway, Asheville, NC
•  Sunny Point
  626 Haywood Rd, Asheville, NC
•  Sweet Monkey
  133 S Main St, Marshall, NC  
• The Oyster House Brewing
  625 Haywood Rd, Asheville, NC
•  The Red Stag Grill
  11 Boston Way, Asheville, NC
•  The Southern Bar & Kitchen
  41 N Lexington Ave, Asheville, NC
•  Tupelo Honey
  12 College Street, Asheville NC
  1829 Hendersonville Rd., Asheville NC
•  Wicked Weed
  91 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC

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.

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.

 

Asheville Wine and Food Festival - Craft Cocktails, Decadent Desserts and Samplings of Asheville's Best Foods

August 20 - 22, 2015   The Asheville Wine and Food Festival for 2015  will be held in various locations with the main events on Saturday at the US Cellular Civic Center in downtown Asheville NC. Now in its 7th year the Festival celebrates both the elegant and the artisan culinary offerings from the variety of restaurants and chefs which make the mountains a true "foodie" destination.

The festival begins with "Elixir", a craft cocktail experience and mixology competition. Amuse and Essence are what's trending now. Skilled bartenders mix the spirits from both local and national distilleries to present their most creative offerings. Attendees will enjoy an amuse bouche along with the theater of the mixology while the competition is concluded and the most creative cocktail is determined.  Elixir takes place from 6:00 - 8:00 PM at the MHCC Event Center.

"Sweet" is a decadent evening of desserts, champagne, wine, spirits and shopping. Begin the second evening of the Festival with dinner at one of Asheville's excellent independent restaurants, but save room for those special "Sweets". From 8 PM to 10 PM participants collect at the historic Grove Arcade, am architectural wonder,  in downtown Asheville where local bakers, chocolatiers, pâtissiers, wine vendors, brewers and distillers will line the corridors of the Arcade. Shops of the Arcade will be open late for browsing and buying in between indulging in the sumptuous fair that is "Sweet".

The final day of the Festival at the Civic Center includes The Grand Tasting, offering a delicious celebration and sampling of a wide variety of Asheville's food and beverages. VIP ticket holders are allowed early admittance at 1 PM catered by Whole Foods and Wines by Biltmore. VIPs also are treated to special events and a their own seating area to enjoy the show along with access to all the vendors/Exhibitors, hundreds of wines, and dozens of breweries, distilleries, restaurants and food producers.

General admission tickets holders begin at 2 PM  with access to all the vendors/Exhibitors, hundreds of wines, and dozens of breweries, distilleries, restaurants and food producers. Enjoy the many sessions of Blind Wine Tastings, Culinary Demonstrations, Mixology Demonstrations and meet Culinary Cookbook authors.

3:00 - 4:30 PM - The Asheville Scene Chefs Challenge includes 4 chefs, 1 hour and a secret ingredient. The Challenge is the conclusion of an iron chef style competition in which over a dozen of the region’s finest chefs fought to the finish to earn the right to compete at the Asheville Wine and Food Festival finals. 

Additional scheduled events:
1:00 - 4:30    Festival Wine Competition
1:00-2:30     Culinary Demonstrations
1:30 - 3:00   Malaprops Culinary Authors Book Signing
2:00 - 4:15    Mixology Demonstrations
1:15 & 3:00  Blind Wine Tasting Event   2 Sessions with Limited Seating
2:15 PM       Blind Beer Tasting Event   1 session, limited seating 

Comfortable shoes are recommended as these events cover all three levels of the Civic Center.

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.

2015 Asheville Wine and Food Festival Offers "Amuse" and "Essence"

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. 

The list of renowned 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 including:

• Ambrozia Bar and Bistro Restaurant 
• Asheville Social Lounge & Tapas 
• Blackbird Restaurant 
• Buffalo Nickel Asheville 
• Chestnut Asheville 
• farm burger 
• King James Public House 
• LAB 
• Nightbell Restaurant &Lounge 
• Omni-Grove Park Inn 
• PULP 
• Sovereign Remedies 
• STORM Rhum Bar & Bistro 
• Sunny Point Café 
• Top Of The Monk 
• Zambra  

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).

WNC Chef Challenge Finals Held in Asheville

August 24   WNC Chef Challenge Finals   The grand finale competition will kick off the WNC Magazine Asheville Wine and Food Festival. 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.

The event will be held  from 2-4 PM and is Free with entry to the Grand Tasting at the Asheville civic Center (U.S. Cellular Center)  87 Haywood Strett in Asheville NC.

Asheville Wine and Food Festival

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.