So it looks like spring has officially sprung here in Westchester, and it’s about time! Aside from the warmer weather, flowers blooming and summer closing in, it’s also the most anticipated time of year for the foodie and oenophile contingency. Why, you may ask? Easy…because in it’s sixth year running, Westchester Magazine will once again host the county’s most elaborate culinary extravaganza boasting an extensive arsenal of wines as well as an impressive list of Westchester’s finest dining venues for their 2016 Wine & Food Festival. For this year’s installment they have changed up the format a bit with what appears to be a much more focused yet expansive event configuration.

The Festival starts on Wednesday June 8th with a fashion/shopping themed event at Bloomingdale’s which leads into Thursday’s Burger and Beer Blast at the Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla. Here, over 30 local restaurants will compete for the coveted Blue Moon Best Burger Award. Think of this as a block party on steroids as there will be tons of great brews, stellar burgers and bar bites, wine, booze and some of the most notorious food trucks in town. These are worthy undercards which lead up to the weekend’s main event of wine tastings and pairings.

Friday night’s ‘An Evening With Westchester’s Tastemakers’  is clearly the belle of the ball this year.  Hosted at the lavish Ritz Carlton in White Plains, it will feature a truly special wine list along with Westchester’s finest restaurants and chefs preparing two signature dishes each specifically for the evening. Such restaurants as Campagna, Crabtree’s Kittle House, Purdy’s Farmer and The Fish, Sonora, Tarry Lodge, The Inn at Pound Ridge and of course The Xaviar’s Group, home to Westchester’s Star Chef Peter Kelly, will be featured among a number of Westchester’s finest eateries. But what good is all this delectable food without the perfect wines by their side? That’s where well-known wine guru Kevin Zraly comes into the picture.

Kevin has narrowed the evening’s list down to 20 stellar selections for this salacious walk around tasting including sparkling, white and red wines from around the world. Some of the wines offered will include Louis Roederer Cristal and Taittinger Vintage Champagnes, Dominus, Domaine Zind Humbrecht Gewurz, La Jota Merlot and Chateau Certan de May to name a few. The goal here is to pair up each scrumptious bite with an ideal wine in order to complement its flavors and texture. Not an easy feat, but Kevin has been doing this sort of thing for many years so I am sure it will be quite the ‘palatable’ sensory experience from start to finish.  It’s not an inexpensive evening for $125 a ticket ($175 for VIP, which is really the way to go as it gives you early entrance to move around with ease), but when considering the quality of food and wine being offered, it’s a pretty serious value.

If your hangover subsides by late Saturday morning then the Saturday Grand Tasting Village is well worth attending. It costs less per ticket than Friday’s festivities and will have 3X the amount of restaurants and wineries struttin’ their stuff back at the Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla. There will be chef demonstrations all day long with lots of local celebrity chefs as well as members of the NBC Today Show. Plus, for an extra few bucks you gain access to the Connoisseurs Tent where Kevin will be pouring some higher end juice and sharing his extensive wine knowledge with those attending. Sure, it will be a bit more crowded than Friday night’s Tastemaker event, but having attended this in year’s past there is always a fairly open flow and an energetic vibe to the Saturday Grand Tasting Village.

For more info and to buy tickets check out the official website for this year’s event, see you there!

Westchester Magazine’s 6th Annual Wine & Food Festival

Cheers!