15 Reasons Not to Miss Wine & Food Week 2019

Wine & Food Week 2019 is 15 years in the making. The event is from June 3-9, 2019 and is a not to be missed event in The Woodlands featuring wine and culinary artisans from across the globe. The week-long event reunites many culinary talents with foodies and wine enthusiasts from the area.

Wine & Food Week, under the direction of Food & Vine Time Productions, will once again raise a glass to master chefs, winemakers, educators, and more, from Houston and across the globe. Attendees can experience national and international wines at wine tastings, wine dinners, Ladies of the Vine Luncheon, seminars, casual events like Sips, Suds & Tacos, and the H-E-B Wine Walk at Market Street. The final event is the elaborate Wine Rendezvous Grand Tasting & Chef Showcase.

Here are 15 reasons why you should not miss Wine & Food Week 2019.

1. You love food and wine. Over 100 chefs in attendance and hundreds of wines including the Wine Enthusiast 2018 Winemaker of the Year Wine Star Award winner, Adam Mettler from Michael David Winery, and the Oregon Wine Press Person of the Year, Rudy Marchesi of Montinore Estate who will do a seminar on organic/biodynamic farming.
2. Meet a giant in the wine industry, Houston icon and Master Sommelier, and Wine Wizard 2018 Guy Stout, at It’s a Guy Thing, Tuesday, June 4 from 7–9 p.m. Guy is one of only 215 Master Sommeliers (MS) in the world and one of the first in America. Sit down for a shoe shine, puff on a cigar, soak in the live music and enjoy the perfect guys night out. Tickets are $30 per person.
   

   Guy Stout

3. If informal strolling and sipping are more your speed, visit Market Street, The Woodlands, as it rolls out the red carpet for the H-E-B Wine Walk from June 6 from 5:30–8:30 p.m. with savory bites, wine, craft beer, and live music by Mango Punch. It’s the perfect way to kick off the weekend. Tickets start at $40, with an early bird of $35 expiring on March 15.
4. You love exclusive tastings. Both the H-E-B Wine Walk and The Wine Rendezvous Grand Tasting & Chef Showcase offer a VIP experience with a keepsake glass. There will be a who’s who of special wine offerings and some great WOW elements.
   

   Wine Walk

5. If exotic flavors make you happy, you’re in good company with former Bravo TV’s Top Chef contender Ron Duprat who will be cooking up a signature dish combining his rich Caribbean heritage flavors with French Accents at the Grand Tasting. Huffington Post recognized Chef Ron Duprat as one of the 10 Black Chefs That Are Changing the Food World. His larger than life personality will be on full display Saturday June 8 during the Grand Tasting.
6. You can’t make it to the Caribbean this summer. No worries as it is coming to you. Meet two of the Caribbean’s top chefs. Erwin Husken, Owner and Executive Chef of Screaming Eagle, and Chef and Owner Urvin Croes of The Kitchen Table by White ranked as TripAdvisor #1 Caribbean fine dining traveler’s choice. Both chefs will be featured at the Grand Tasting event on Saturday June 8, as well as in the Aruba Culinary Center booth on the Wine Walk on Thursday, June 6.
7. If you are dying to know what your wine says about you, rub elbows with Wine Wizard 2013 Tim Hanni, one of the first two resident Americans to successfully complete the examination and earn the title Master of Wine. He is a Certified Wine Educator accredited by the Society of Wine Educators and co-founder and Chief Advocate of MyVinotype, which helps people understand what kind of wines they like to drink. Find out “Why You Like the Wines You Like” as written by Hanni and have your tongue painted blue to reveal your taste buds.
8. A tastemaker yourself, you want to be ahead of the curve on trends. Catch up with the “15 Fresh Faces” making their mark on the culinary scene. Unveiling the list bit by bit will keep you guessing.
9. You love sports celebrities who’ve made a difference on and off the field. Meet Jarvis Green Wine Wizard 2011 and former NFL superstar, two-time Superbowl Champion and owner of Oceans 97, whose shrimp and shrimp products reflect Green’s commitment to locally sourced and natural products. Green has become a leader in educating people about the health benefits of a diet rich in fresh and natural ingredients. Oceans 97 will be featured at “It’s a Guy Thing” and the Grand Tasting with some pop-up tastings in between.
10. Ladies of the VineTasting, Luncheon & Panel Discussion, will be held Friday, June 7 from 12 p.m.–3 p.m. at The Club at Carlton Woods. It is an elegant affair featuring prominent women in the wine industry. Tickets are $85 per person. The event sells out every year, so don’t wait!
11. You want to eat like a first family. Meet former White House Executive Chef John Moeller, Wizard Gourmet from 2014, who presided over the White House kitchen during President George W. Bush’s second term. He served in the White House from September of 1992 until 2005—one of the longest tenured chefs across three Administrations. Moeller said, “One of my greatest satisfactions as a chef is presenting a first-class meal and seeing the enjoyment that it brings to the diners and the goodwill and friendship that it promotes.” Chef Moeller has detailed his journey and White House experience in a book, Dining at the White House—From the President’s Table to Yours. During his tenure, he helped create and prepare meals for the First Families, for world leaders like Tony Blair and Nelson Mandela, for famous guests like Julia Child and Sophia Loren, and for holiday parties and trips to Camp David.
12. Chef of Chefs Hall of Fame lifetime achievement inductees and Houston icons Michael Cordúa and Carmelo Mauro will return to see who takes the coveted Goya Chef of Chefs Trophy and $5,000 cash prize this year during The Wine Rendezvous Grand Tasting & Chef Showcase.
    
13. The word taco may mean “light lunch,” but to you, taco time is all the time. Taco day reigns supreme. Don’t miss Sips, Suds & Tacos Friday, June 7 at 6 p.m. It’s a taco take-down where tacos of all shapes and sizes are served up with all the fixings and one taco takes all the glory and the quirky taco trophy. Tickets are $30. Grab some friends and wind down the week with a fiesta!
14. Get ready to be put that foodie prowess to practice and be wowed. The Wine Rendezvous Grand Tasting & Chef Showcase features more than 60 major culinary talent from the U.S., Caribbean and Latin America all in one elegant ballroom vying for the title of Chef of Chefs with its coveted trophy and $5,000 cash prize. This is foodie heaven. Tickets for the Grand Tasting are $125 per person.
15. Supporting Wine & Food Week helps several charitable organizations such as New Danville; The Woodlands Arts Council, Montgomery County Food Bank; just to name a few. Food & Vine Time Productions has raised well over a million dollars through various channels for local charities over the years.

To purchase tickets, book a hotel room, sign up to volunteer and for more general information, please visit www.wineandfoodweek.com

Photos courtesy of Wine & Food Week