Yes, it’s September people. That means a few things, including the impending end of summer, the return to school for kiddies and teachers alike, the start of football and, of course, the Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival. Held every September at various venues in Newport, RI, this event is a classic and one of the finest examples of a wine and food weekend you’ll find anywhere. You can experience it for yourself this year, September 22 – 25, 2016. It kicks off with a very special Bordeaux Dinner on Thursday, September 22nd and continues through the weekend with Grand Tastings, seminars and additional evening activities.
While pretty spectacular already, you can always count on a few new twists to the festival every year. Call it the 
relentless search for perfection. This year the twists count more than a few, as the seminars expand again and change venues, they ramp up a bit in scope, the aforementioned Bordeaux Dinner hits town in black tie, and the Grand Tastings see the addition of a VIP ticket as well as other changes.
Rather than the standard 12-4 hours on Saturday and Sunday for the Grand Tastings at Marble House, this year the VIP ticket gets you in at 12:00, while the regular ticket will open the doors for you at 12:30. The Grand Tastings are always a treat, and this year look for an off the chart group of wines and restaurants. Some other features include:
- Chef grilling demonstrations on the Lynx Outdoor Kitchen in the Rosé & Grilling Garden, sponsored by Château d’Esclans
- The Nobilo & Midtown Oyster Bar
- The Italian Seaside Café with Castle Hill Inn & Marchesi di Barolo
The new Thursday night Bordeaux Dinner at The Elms mansion looks to be incredible. The dinner journey will include an exploration of the Medoc’s 1855 Grand Cru Classé Classification (which you can read a bit about by clicking here), created by the request of Louis Napoleon III, with wines from centuries-old estates each representing Bordeaux’ most prestigious Appellations of Saint-Estèphe, Pauillac, Saint-Julien and Margaux. The Grand Cru wines will include Château Cos d’Estournel, Château Pichon Baron, Château Talbot and Château d’Issan. There will be food from James Beard Award-winning Chef Frank McClelland of L’Espalier in Boston – French inspired and created to pair perfectly with these exquisite Bordeaux wines. The only catch is that this is not for those without deep pockets. The price of admission is $1000.
Fear not however, as there are plenty of other ways to indulge over the course of the four days should the Bordeaux 
dinner exceed your finances, or sensibilities. One always popular way is to attend Wine and Rosecliff, held at the Rosecliff Mansion on Friday night. This event features upscale wines and fine food in one of the most idyllic settings anywhere. Live music and dancing cap off the experience.
This celebration has always been our favorite annual wine & food event, and we have been attending since its inception. We suggest you stop in and see what all the hype is about.
You can read about the many ways to enjoy the Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival on the Preservation Society’s website: http://www.newportmansions.org/events/wine-and-food-festival.
See you there.
A votre santé!
Leave a Reply