South Walton Beaches Wine & Food Festival This Weekend!

Sip, swirl, and nibble

South Walton Beach chef Gary Serafin of the Wine Bar and the Craft Bar certainly says it best: “Aren’t the best times of our lives those that involve food and wine?” The answer is yes! Which is why wine isn’t the only shining star on the menu at the upcoming South Walton Beaches Wine and Food Festival. This year, the festive four-day fete and major fund-raiser for Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation, benefitting children in need in Northwest Florida, plans to showcase more restaurants, food artisans, and seasoned chefs than ever before.

Gary Serafin; Image Courtesy of South Walton Beaches Food & Wine Festival

Starting Thursday, April 28 through Sunday, May 1, attendees will wine and dine their way through the Town Center of Grand Boulevard at Sandestin for South Walton’s largest wine event. Enjoy a menu of delicious small plates that has been specifically designed by Chef Serafin to pair beautifully with an array of imported and domestic wines.

“We approach this event as a food and wine experience, so whether you prefer white or red wine, or a variety of foods—vegetarian, meats, and seafood—to try to have something everyone will enjoy,” Serafin explains.

The event will serve traditional food favorites as well as present new dishes to the menu this year for an exciting and unexpected “wow” factor. Three of this year’s featured dishes will be: penne pasta primavera with a medley of fresh spring vegetables, herbs, and extra olive oil; a classic French duck and sausage cassoulet; and shrimp and jamón morunos—savory skewers of fresh marinated Gulf shrimp and Spanish ham.

Sushi by Chef Yoshi Eddings of Harbor Docks; Image Courtesy of South Walton Beaches Wine & Food

Also showcasing a refreshing palate of food will be Chef Ted Morrison and his team from Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa, South Walton’s Chef Kevin Korman of Caliza Restaurant, ANCO Fine Cheeses, and, back by popular demand, the award-winning sushi creations of Yoshi Eddings of HarborDocks in Destin. Although these eateries are not new to the festival, they will all have something to wow taste buds year after year!

Want some cheese with that wine? This year, the festival is welcoming a fine assortment of handcrafted cheeses by guest cheese maker Sweet Grass Dairy of Thomasville, Georgia, and the sweet taste of homemade local honey from South Walton’s Honey Hutch. The sweet mixture of cheese and honey can be paired with a freshly baked baguette courtesy of Publix Grocery, the festival’s newest sponsor.

Image Courtesy of South Walton Wine & Food Festival

Introducing food tastings! The best way to try vino is through a tasting featuring a variety of different wines. The concept is the same for small plates. Welcome to a foodie’s dream as it offers a series of four forty-five-minute tasting seminars on Saturday and Sunday, sponsored and presented by Silver Sands Premium Outlets. Ready to eat some delicious tapas and drink some wine now? So are we!

With over eight hundred domestic and imported wines and enough food dishes to chow down to your heart’s content—all for a good cause!—there’s no reason to miss this year’s South Walton Beaches Wine and Food Festival will be held April 28 to May 1 in rain or shine. Grab some friends and get ready to cheers to a good time! For tickets and to view the festival’s schedule, visit www.SoWalWine.com and be sure to share pictures of your tasting with us on Facebook and Instagram!