Returning to downtown Florence, South Carolina, March 30 through April 1, 2023, the Florence Wine & Food Festival features seven culinary experiences curated by the multi-talented brothers Matt and Ted Lee. This year’s lineup includes four events from 2022’s festival, along with three all-new addition: two Signature Dinners and the Grand Tasting.
This year’s featured winery Domaine Serene, from Oregon’s Willamette Valley, will be serving wines for the Festival’s finale dinner, the Final Pour, which will be headlined by Katie Button, chef and owner of James Beard Award-winning Cúrate Bar de Tapas and La Bodega in Asheville, North Carolina, and host of Magnolia Network’s hit television show “From the Source.”
The weekend kicks off Thursday night, March 30, with Meat and Meander, a casual indoor-outdoor party celebrating foods that are smoked, grilled, and slow-roasted al fresco.
On Friday, the Ray Isle Wine Class: Oregon 101 invites guests to spend the afternoon with Food & Wine magazine executive editor Ray Isle, one of the world’s most dynamic wine personalities. He will introduce guests to everything they need to know about the wines of the Beaver State.
The festival fun continues Friday night with Sip+Savor Wine Stroll. Curated itineraries guide guests through 10 of downtown’s finest independent retailers, which serve as tasting rooms for hors d’oeuvres prepared by Pee Dee area caterers paired with wines from festival beverage director, Sam Tinsley.
For this year, there will be two signature dinners on Friday night: one at Il Buongustaio, hosted by chef-owner Alessandro Salaris, and the other at Town Hall Restaurant, hosted by executive chef Ryan Dalton, with special guest Jeremiah Bacon, executive chef and partner of Indigo Road Restaurant Group.
At Saturday’s Grand Tasting, guests can indulge in a city block’s worth of delicious snacks and signature drink creations from winemakers, craft brewers, and distillers, pouring and pairing alongside the region’s best restaurants, farmers, and specialty-food vendors. The Grand Tasting will offer ticket holders an all-you-can-sample taste of the Pee Dee’s food culture, with a performance stage sponsored by Certified SC for chef demonstrations, competitions, and live music.
Wrapping up the flavorful weekend in impressive fashion, the Final Pour wine dinner showcases cuisine from chef Button and her cookbook Cúrate: Authentic Spanish Food from an American Kitchen.
Tickets for all events are on sale at florencewineandfood.com. All proceeds benefit Help4Kids Florence, a nonprofit program that provides weekend food packs to elementary school students in Florence County, so that they return to school on Monday fed, rested, and ready to learn.
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