Harvest Dinner Line-Up Revealed

The Harvest Wine & Food Festival is just a couple of months away! The festival, held in South Walton on November 4-7 in the beautiful WaterColor community, brings together incredible chefs and winemakers. Experience the delightful pairings at the exclusive Vintner Dinners—we are excited to share the details with you!

Thursday Dinners, November 4th at 6 pm:

Automatic Seafood featuring Stonestreet Estate Vineyards
Presented by Good Grit and 360 Blue, this dinner will be served in a private 360 Blue Residence. Chef Adam Evans opened Automatic Seafood in Birmingham in 2019, and he has proven his dedication to serving only the best seafood, fish, and oysters. Before opening his own restaurant, Chef Adams sharpened his culinary skills at the esteemed La Petite Grocery, Esquire’s Restaurant of the Year, The Optimist, and other culinary institutions. 

Stonestreet Estate Vineyards was established by Jess Stonestreet Jackson and Barbara Banke in 1995 on 5,500 acres in the Mayacamas Mountain Range. The elevation of the vineyards produces smaller, more concentrated berry clusters that define their Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc wines. A legacy built to last, today the couple’s son, Christopher Jackson, now cares for the estate, one of the most expansive mountain vineyards in the world.

CAST Wines Celebrity Winemaker Dinner
Presented by Emerald Coast Association of Realtors, enjoy a multi-course meal at Café Thirty-A, an Emerald Coast favorite. Café Thirty-A has been known for its eclectic fine dining menu and impeccable service since it first opened in 1995—they make good food and good company a way of life. The romantic setting makes it the perfect place to enjoy CAST Wines with friends.

CAST Wines, located in Sonoma County, California, produces wine as enchanting as the vineyards in which it is created. The reserve features seven different vineyards, each growing a different varietal. CAST brings excellence and care to each pour, from Petite Sirah to Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines will be presented by winery owners Jack and Ann Seifrick.

Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood featuring Purlieu Wines
Founded in 1998, Seagar’s combines a New York style steakhouse with a coastal atmosphere. Serving the finest aged Prime USDA steaks and fresh seafood, Seagar’s has created an indulgent dining experience whether you’re enjoying an intimate dinner for two or a group celebration. Located in the iconic Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa, the restaurant is also the only AAA Four-Diamond steakhouse in the area.

Purlieu means “the edge of the forest,” fitting for its location in Coombsville AVA, which is situated at the edge of the forest and Napa Valley. Purlieu pushes the boundaries, redefining expectations of what a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon can be—honoring tradition, while embracing innovation. Rebekah Burns of Purlieu Wines will be presenting the wines at the dinner, which will be sponsored by Stephen and Joan Carter.

Roy Estate Celebrity Winemaker Dinner at Cuvee 30A
Presented by Chuck & Glenda Palmore, dinner at Cuvee 30A is one of the signature events of the festival. Tim Creehan, Cuvee 30A’s Chef-Owner and DCWAF Trustee, creates award-winning signature dishes from fresh and local fare that highlights the best that the Emerald Coast region has to offer. Chef Creehan’s culinary talents have given Cuvee 30A a prestigious reputation as a chic culinary destination.

Nestled in Napa Valley, at the foothills of the Vaca Mountains, Roy Estate winery’s Cabernet-based wines are known for striking complexity. The estate focuses on quality, rather than quantity, and the cooler weather lends to wines with European-style tannic structures. Shirley Roy and Kathryn Reynolds, both of Roy Estate, will be presenting the wines at the dinner.

Friday Dinners, November 5th at 6pm 

Black Sheep Tequila Dinner featuring Chef Maricela Vega
Presented by Setco Services and 360 Blue, in a beautiful private WaterColor residence courtesy of 360 Blue, the tequila dinner is one of the most sought-after events of the weekend. Enjoy a delicious multi-course meal served alongside custom curated Black Sheep tequila cocktails.

Black Sheep premium tequila has a unique approach to its preparation, relying on slow fermentation of 100% aged Blue Weber highland agave to create a superior product. Their quality ingredients and organic process create a tequila with a distinct taste—a new era or tequila rooted in old-world tradition.

Nominated in 2020 as a James Beard Rising Star Chef, Maricela Vega brings her locally sourced, vegetable-focused culinary expertise to the festival for the first time. Ask Maricela Vega what drives her cooking and she’ll talk about relationships. Relationships with farmers, with community, with family and ancestors and the earth itself. Vega, who runs the popular Mexican food pop-up Chicomecóatl, was also the executive chef of Atlanta’s 8Arm for the last two years. Her sustainable food pop-up specializes in tamales and other masa products including tortillas and tostadas. 

Corazon del Sol Wine Dinner
Vin'tij Food + Wine, an award-winning restaurant known for its seasonal dishes, has been a local favorite for over 20 years. The kitchen is helmed by Chef Ignacio Bernal, who is the mastermind behind the Argentinian courses that utilize fresh ingredients from local farmers and fishermen. Their impressive wine shop is stocked with hard-to-find, boutique wines made from small family wineries all over the world. The dinner will be presented by Cory & Hillary Fosdyck.

Located at the base of the Andes Mountains in Argentina, Corazon del Sol crafts Malbec and Grenache-based wines—the best the region has to offer. The high altitude, alluvial soil, and 300 days of sunshine a year results in wines of great complexity, power, and finesse. 

Stellekaya Celebrity Winemaker Dinner
In South Africa’s Blaauwklippen Valley, nestled high on the slopes of the Stellenbosch mountains, sits the Lello Family Estate, home of Stellekaya Wines. Since 1999, the estate has been producing barrel matured wines from noble red varietals. Their winemaking process uses a traditional punch down method in open fermentation bins, and is followed by 100% maturation in French Oak Barrels. Owner Jane Lello will be presenting the wines at dinner.

Published on Wednesday, July 7, 2021