The big news at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida these days is the unveiling of the new Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom park.
Various sections of the “land” are being opened in phases, with the next opening scheduled for December 6, when the four-attraction “Enchanted Forest” will debut.
Meanwhile, there’s a lot going on at the Magic Kingdom’s sister park, Epcot, as that 300-acre playland hosts the 17th annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.
The event kicked off in late September, and continues through November 12. Weekly festival guides can be downloaded from the Walt Disney world website.
A sampling of this week’s remaining events:
- Beverage seminars, each running approximately 45 minutes, featuring Kim Crawford, La Crema, Hanna Winery, Grgich Hills and other estates.
- The “Eat to the Beat” concert series, featuring Air Supply, the Pointer Sisters, Sister Hazel and others.
- An array of luncheons, wine seminars and “Signature Dinners,” headlined by an event dubbed “3D”—Disney’s Dessert Discovery.
- Marketplaces at Epcot’s various international pavilions and other attractions, each featuring well-executed food-and-wine (or other adult beverage) pairings. For example, at the Argentina area, one can nosh on a Grilled Beef Skewer with Chimichurri Sauce and Boniato Purée, as well as a Beef Empanada, accompanied by four wines from Terrazas: a Reserva Chardonnay; a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Reserva Torrontes and a Reserva Malbec.
Each day is jam-packed with activities for wine-loving guests to experience. Some skip the rides and other regular park attractions altogether and spend all their time focused on food and wine.
There may be no other wine festival anywhere that offers so many different experiences for wine lovers.
You definitely don’t have to be a kid to enjoy Walt Disney World.
