The Nantucket Wine & Food Festival Gets Underway Today

The 21^st Annual Nantucket Wine & Food Festival is kicking off its haute celebration today and running through Sunday. The spring festival is one of the nation’s most celebrated wine and food events on Nantucket Island, which is located just 30 miles off the coast of Cape Cod.

The festivities get underway tonight at 5 p.m. with the welcome reception and opening pop of Veuve Clicquot,

Photo Credit: Nantucket Wine & Food Festival

From 3 to 4:30 p.m. tomorrow, it’s all about sipping champagne and sampling caviar at the Champagne Wishes, Caviar Dreams tasting event. Here, guests will have the opportunity to learn from Calvisius Caviar experts, one of the finest caviar producers in Italy, as they pair up with Champagne Taittinger to present the world’s most extravagant indulgences. John Knierim, vice president of Calvisius Caviar and Christian Dalbavie, CSW – French portfolio manager of Kobrand, will educate guests about this perfect pairing.

Tomorrow night is one of the most sought-after tickets as the Harbor Gala gets underway at 5 p.m. The VIP event is being held at the deck of the White Elephant featuring 40 winemakers and 40 chefs.

This weekend, the festival now draws more than 3,000 attendees to the island for this annual spring fête and boasts a continually growing family of vintners, wineries, renowned chefs and restaurants. Other haute happenings include a rose brunch, Le Grand Fromage, the opportunity to become a truffle connoisseur, a champagne and lobster tasting, a sunset clambake and wine seminars as well as endless amounts of wine tastings.

When the Nantucket Wine Festival started out in 1996, it was just a one-day Grand Tasting event held on the beach in Siasconset, the eastern-most tip of the island. Today, the festival now draws more than 3,000 attendees to the island each year for the annual spring fête.