Forks & Corks Food & Wine Festival, a four-day festival presented by The Sarasota-Manatee Originals (SMO), unites food, wine and beer enthusiasts with preeminent regional chefs and celebrated vintners from around the world. The four-day culinary festival, January 27-30, 2012, features various winemaker events at area restaurants (January 27, 28); interactive food and wine and seminars (January 28); The Grand Tasting in The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art Courtyard (January 29); and a trade event for area restaurants, retailers, and hotels (January 30). Tickets, which can only be purchased online, go on sale November 14, 2011, at www.freshoriginals.com/forksandcorks.
The Grand Tasting, which features signature dishes from the area’s top chefs, along with a vast array of wines and beers presented by guest vintners and breweries, is January 29, noon to 4 p.m. “We expect to have more than 60 renowned wineries and winemakers from around the world represented at the event,” says Kate Atkin, executive director of SMO, adding that guests will be able to order favorite wines after sampling them. Tickets are $75 for general admission and $125 for VIP admission. Tickets include free admission to the museum’s art galleries on the day of the event.
This year’s Grand Tasting will again feature a silent auction of fine wines to benefit the American Red Cross.
