Sip and Savor Your Way Across the Globe at the Nantucket Wine & Food Festival

Courtesy Nantucket Wine & Food Festival

It may seem a little early for the beach, but there’s another reason to head to Nantucket starting this week. Leave the sunblock and beach tote, bring the boat shoes, best threads—not to mention your appetite—for the 26th-annual Nantucket Wine & Food Festival, running from Wednesday, May 15 to Sunday, May 19. The fete takes place at the luxe harborside White Elephant hotel, with other events and parties elsewhere on the island, including the Straight Wharf Restaurant, with wine tastings letting you peek inside private homes. Come ready to break bread and sip bubbly with the around 4,000 guests who trickle to the island to for tastings, seminars, brunches, and parties. The festival essentially uncorks the island for the summer, too, with restaurants, art galleries, and tours waking up from off-season slumber.

Courtesy the Nantucket Wine & Food Festival

Courtesy the Nantucket Wine & Food Festival

For your fermentation, note the wording of this year’s event, putting “wine” first and foremost. The festival features wine makers and vintners from across the globe—a mix of both old world and new wineries to toast, from California to Croatia, from north of Boston to the south of France. Sip pours of pinot by Domaine Faiveley from Burgundy, Hamilton Russell Vineyards in South Africa, and Bressay Estate Vineyard in California’s Sonoma County. Imbibe Bordeaux by Château Auney L’Hermitage and Clos du Jaugueyron, with plenty more varieties of vino—each with tempting terroirs—showcased throughout the festival. And heads up for those who aren’t exactly sommeliers themselves: celebrated luminaries in the wine world are leading tastings and talks throughout the five-day fest to help steer you in the right direction. Besides, after some Veuve, you might find that your brain is an especially willing sponge to soak up the expertise of other attendees.

Courtesy the Nantucket Wine & Food Festival

With all the merriment, there’s plenty of time for meals, too. Dig into plates proffered by chefs and restaurants from around the globe. Local chefs include Robert Sisca of South End French favorite Bistro du Midi (a Best of Boston winner for its stellar service) and Erin Miller of Urban Hearth, also a Best of Boston winner for its famed farm-to-table fare. Patricia Estorino of Gustazo in Waltham crafts Cuban fare, while Nick Dixon (the culinary director/owner of Lincoln, Capo, Hunters, and Prima), plus David Blessing of the State Room, David Daniels of the Boston Harbor Hotel, Nathan Rich of Twin Farms in Vermont, and Chef Joseph Hsu of the White Elephant’s seafood-focused Brant Point Grill play to palettes. International chefs from Italy, France, and Argentina delight diners, too.

Courtesy the Nantucket Wine & Food Festival

Class is in session during various events, like Sips, Stars, & Sweets which pairs guided stargazing at the Loines Observatory with desserts by Sandrine Wallace and Taylor Fladgate cocktails and wine, while wine educator Robin Kelley O’Connor leads a tasting on high-altitude wines from across the world. Other seminars celebrate the magic combination of oysters and wine, and center on vintages from various regions, from Napa to Bordeaux. Many events are more relaxed tastings, though even during the more education-minded seminars, expect popping corks, not pop quizzes.

Courtesy the Nantucket Wine & Food Festival

The festival kicks off with the Grey Lady welcome reception on May 15 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the White Elephant, where guests raise glasses as they arrive to the island. Nantucket’s nickname of the “Grey Lady” references the fog that often shrouds the island during the morning and late evening. What’s clear, though, is that the Harbor Gala is the toast of the festival. On May 16 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., famed winemakers present their wines pared with fare crafted by chefs from Argentina, France, and Italy, as well as Boston, New York, Chicago, and elsewhere. The stroll-and-sip tasting is a chance to savor luxe pairings of food with over 40 wines, and toast to the best of the fest still to come, set against the stunning canvas of Nantucket Harbor. To that, we say: Cheers!

 The Nantucket Wine & Food Festival, Wednesday, May 15 through Sunday, May 19; visit nantucketwinefestival.com for tickets. 

Courtesy the Nantucket Wine & Food Festival

Previously:

Nantucket’s White Elephant Hotel Gets a Centennial Makeover