10 Things You Must Try At The Next Epcot Food And Wine Festival

This year’s 20th Annual Epcot Food and Wine Festival begins Sept 25th and runs through Nov 16th. If you have been before I do not need to tell you much about it, but if you have not been before, it is a great event for adults and groups of friends to spend time together. I have not been going for all of those years but at least the last 7 or 8. This is our Annual friend reunion at Disney. There are 25 additional “countries” around World Showcase in the form of booths. They all offer “tasting portions” for between $4 and $8 a piece. Here are a few things to consider doing this year:

10. Hawaii – Have a kalua slider with pineapple chutney at the Hawaii booth. This is a really yummy pulled pork option with pineapple.

9. France – Have the La Passion Martini Slush in France. These little frozen drinks are really good on a hot day. A nice way to cool off.

8. Ireland – Have a lobster & seafood fisherman’s pie in Ireland. The kerrygold cheese plate is also excellent. This is one of my Annual favorites. They have Guinness too.

7. Belgium – Try the chilled Godiva coffee in Belgium. Chocolate coffee, enough said.

6. Italy – Have a glass of wine in Italy. The chianti is really good. You can also sign up for a four course food and wine pairing in Italy. Warning, do not have lunch or dinner reservations before or after. This will be dinner.

5. Japan – Try sake in Japan. If you are more adventurous, go to a sake tasting. It is very interesting to learn about how the Japanese view culinary arts and hear about different kinds of sake. I had never even had sake before the tasting we went to and enjoyed it.

4. Take In A Show – Stop by the Eat to the Beat concert series. Review the list of scheduled performances for the time you will be on property and plan ahead. They are held at the America Gardens Theater at 5:30, 6:45 and 8pm. Depending on who the performers are, the crowd is pretty large so be prepared.

3. Festival Center Fun – Check out a culinary demonstration or a beverage seminar at Festival Center. The chefs from many of the signature restaurants on property give these demos. You can gain information and a recipe to take with you as well as tasting the recipe. Beverage seminars can be wine tasting or other festive drinks. Lately they have added beers and tequila to the options. It is a great opportunity to find new favorites.

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2. Dessert! – Go by the Desserts & Champagne booth for a snack. Chocolate and champagne, what’s not to like? There is always something new to try. The dessert trio option is very good.

1. Check out Festival Center. The Chocolate Experience, Cheese Seminars, Mixology Seminars, winemaking video so there is lots to do. Collect your map and schedule for book signings, bottle signings and other events. There is also Intermissions Café to get a snack while you are cooling off.

So, I want to leave you with a few more tips and favorites to think over – after all the Festival starts soon. Remember that if you want to attend events, they are ticketed and reserved in advance since they have limited seating. Call early, so you can add them to the plans. If snacking is your pastime of choice, here are a few of my favorites: lettuce wraps with roast pork & kimchi slaw in Korea, beef tenderloin tips in Africa, cheddar cheese soup or beef filet mignon with wild mushroom risotto in Canada, beef bourguignon & salted caramel crème brulee in France, spanakopita in Greece, cannoli in Italy, kefta pocket in Morocco. Get yourself a map and map out your favorites splitting up the showcase into multiple day walks and ENJOY! We’ll see you there!

For more inside tips about Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival, consider planning and booking your next Disney trip with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner you can trust like Mickey Travels. They’ll help you get the best Walt Disney World deal, share expert advice and their services are totally FREE! It’s genius!