When guests arrived at the 17th annual Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival’s Grand Tasting on Dec. 15, they found an even bigger and better event than last year. The culmination of a four-day culinary extravaganza, the food and wine tasting, hosted at the Palm Beach County Convention Center and presented by Wine Spectator, offered a night of perfect food and wine combinations and amazing chefs and vintners.
An annual highlight of the festival, this year’s Grand Tasting attracted more than 2,500 revelers ready to indulge in dishes, both savory and sweet, from 60 of South Florida’s finest restaurants while tasting selections from 115 wineries, each pouring a wine rated 90 points or higher by Wine Spectator editors in blind tastings. Several wineries poured wines scoring 96 points or higher.
Food First
Chef Lindsay Autry of Honeybelle, who co-founded the event in 2007 with her husband David Sabin, took to the stage to welcome guests and observe how large the festival has grown since then. “Being here today is the culmination of more than 25 events across four days and six cities,” she told the crowd.
Indeed, by this point many of the guests were familiar faces to one another, having shared food and wine during festival events at luxury resorts, including The Boca Raton Resort, Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach, Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa and The Breakers, as well as top restaurants like Marcello’s La Sirena, Café Boulud, Buccan and more.
Great food has been the cornerstone of the event since its founding. Over the four days of the festival, guests had the chance to attend numerous lunches and dinners with renowned chefs, including Daniel Boulud, Marcello Fiorentino, Andrew Carmellini, Ben Ford, David Burke, Jose Garces, Stephanie Izard and Ken Oringer, to name a few.
Next, Amazing Wine
As guests entered the Grand Tasting, they were greeted by Lanson Brut Champagne Le Black, the official Champagne sponsor, before refilling their glasses with their choice of dozens of wonderful selections spanning the globe. Among the highlights were Argiano Brunello di Montalcino 2019, Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova 2019, Château Pichon Baron Pauillac 2020, E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie Château d’Ampuis 2019, Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Lot C-91 2018, Kistler Chardonnay Russian Rover Valley Laguna Ridge Vineyard 2021 and Quinta do Noval Vintage Port 2020.
The event also gave guests the opportunity to meet some of the people behind the wines. Among the winemakers in attendance was James Hall, pouring his 94-point Patz & Hall Chardonnay Russian River Valley Zio Tony Ranch. “The crowd is just great,” beamed Hall. “About half the crowd recognize the brand and probably 30 percent know this exact wine, of which I make only eight barrels. It’s thrilling—like I’m pouring it for friends.”
Marilisa Allegrini came from Italy to pour her Poggio al Tesoro Bolgheri Superiore Sondraia 2020. “Wine Spectator is always finding ways to improve. It’s important to have variation and something new and this is the perfect mix of food and wine and atmosphere,” she said, noting that the grilled swordfish belly made a perfect match to the wine.
Wine Spectator subscriber Robert Tarpin traveled from Ashville, N.C., to meet up with wine-loving friends at the event. “I’ve been to many events like this, but none of them approaches the quality of the food and wine. Every single wine is excellent, and I’m also pleased at the variety,” said Tarpin, noting his fondess for South African wine. “I think interspersing the food and wine also makes the event so much better!”
Perfect Pairings
The restaurants served an impressive selection of tastes like steak tartare, diver sea scallops and brie grilled cheese. Chef Diego Soriano of Florie’s in Palm Beach had his team cooking fresh agnolotti, which he stuffed with braised lamb and ricotta cheese before carefully folding and saucing. “We want to do something that really brings our kitchen to the event, pasta made just as we do at the restaurant,” he said.
A portion of ticket sales for the Grand Tasting goes to benefit the designated charity for the event—the Els for Autism Foundation—co-founded by Marvin R. Shanken, editor and publisher of Wine Spectator, Ernie Els and Liezl Els in 2009. The foundation operates the Els Center of Excellence, a world-class, 26-acre campus and learning center in Jupiter, Fla., for people with autism.
But more than just a beneficiary, Els for Autism was an active participant. Big Easy Café by Ernie Els employed autistic adults to serve a tasty treat: Eggnog Swiss Cereal. The Sea of Possibilities made crafts like napkin rings and wine glass charms created by autistic adults available for purchase. “A big goal all along has been to get jobs for people, and these are some ways we teach and prepare them,” explained Dr. Marlene Sotelo, executive director of Els for Autism. “To be the benefiting charity of such an event is a wonderful gift.”
The Grand Tasting culminated in a Chef Throwdown. Chef Michael Chavez of Buccan in Palm Beach bested the competition in the eyes of the celebrity chef judges, including Maneet Chauhan, Tiffani Faison and Robert Irvine. His $10,000 prize will benefit the nonprofit Buccan Provisions, which provides free nutritious meals for those in need.
The 18th annual Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival will take place Dec. 11–14, 2025.
