Savannah Wine and Food Festival

Head to the Hostess City of the South for the Savannah Wine and Food Festival to mingle with chefs and winemakers at connoisseur dinners, master classes, and grand tastings. Now in its fifth year, the festival is one of Georgia’s largest culinary and wine events. “The thing that makes Savannah Food and Wine different is that it’s very focused on wine,” says Jan Gourley, a co-founder of the festival. “The master classes are really the steal of the festival. The small, twenty-five person groups allow heavy interaction with winemakers, and provide the ability for guests to form relationships with the winemakers.” 

This year, the festival will host a James Beard Foundation Celebrity Chef Tour dinner. On Wednesday. James Beard Foundation-recognized chefs will come together with local chefs, culinary students, and beverage experts to create a multi-course dining experience. Participating chefs include Paul Fehribach of Big Jones in Chicago; Rebecca Wilcomb of Herbsaint in New Orleans; Hugo Ortega of Hugo’s, Caracol, Backstreet Cafe and Xochi in Houston, Texas; and Steven Satterfield of Miller Union in Atlanta. 

Be sure to catch the festival’s two new events: Sip & Shop Tanger Outlets and a riverboat lunch cruise with wine pairings—both of which will take place on Friday. Don’t miss the Q-Masters, Chefs + Vets party presented by the Local Palate. Now in its second year, the event will bring together pitmasters including Rodney Scott of Rodney Scott’s Barbecue in Charleston, South Carolina, Bryan Furman of B’s Cracklin’ Barbecue in Savannah, Georgia, and Griffin Bufkin and Harrison Sapp of Southern Soul Barbecue in St. Simons Island, Georgia, to serve up their renowned barbecue. Chefs will be using Big Green Egg Grills to provide smoky dishes. Proceeds will benefit military veterans.

The Savannah Food and Wine Festival is a nonprofit event, benefiting various Savannah charitable organizations and its own Coastal Hospitality Education Foundation, which provides educational scholarships for culinary and hospitality students in the Coastal Empire and the Lowcountry.