Great Fare. Fabulous Feasts.

Written By: Jenny King | Issue: 2018/11 - November

Highlands Food and Wine Festival, November 8–11, is a time to experience the best culinary talents in the region.  It also gives participants the opportunity to investigate the many wines, beers, and spirits available throughout the four-day event. Award-winning Highlands restaurants team up with world-class wine makers and brew masters for very special dinners throughout the weekend.

This year there are several new chefs and new restaurants participating, as well as a Saturday afternoon Wicked Weed Brewery Tap Takeover at Cyprus International Restaurant.

Chef Adam Bresnahan, well known from his participation in past years’ festivals, will be representing 4118 Kitchen + Bar on Friday and Saturday.  He and Chef Ken Naron of Canyon Kitchen will collaborate for the Lagunitas Beer Dinner Friday night. 

Saturday’s Bourbon Dinner at 4118 is something Bresnahan is looking forward to.

“I’m really excited about the bourbon dinner,” he says.  “I love thinking outside the box and there are food and spirit pairings I can’t wait to showcase.”

4118 presents five courses and six bourbons.  The evening will focus on the bourbon-making process: from the finest crop of select corn, to its careful fermentation, to specialized cooking, to a time-honored aging process, to the aromatic punch-and-wow flavor of the finished product.  Let your talented nose taste the aromatic sweetness before the amber delight ever reaches your eager lips.

Cyprus International Restaurant is a perfect fit for foodies and wine pairings.  Friday Night chefs are teaming-up with Catena Argentino wines, the brand that enjoys popularity in France and Argentina, and now, Highlands.  The wine’s history is based on the legend of the epic and noble Malbec grape which, when pressed into wine, more than lives up to its mystique.  Get ready for our own hometown legend, Cyprus, to bond its aromas, flavors, sauces, and savories with the dignified bouquet of the marvelous Malbec.

Laura Huerta, owner of Lakeside Restaurant, is hosting Duckhorn Vineyards on Friday night; and Saturday’s wine dinner features winemakers and owners Guy and Judy Davis of the Davis Family Vineyards.

“Lakeside Restaurant is extremely excited to host friends, Guy and Judy Davis, for our Davis Family Dinner,” Laura said.  “We have been proud supporters of their wines for many years and it’s a treat to have them with us for the Food and Wine Festival.  In addition, Duckhorn Vineyards is a spectacular winery that we are proud to showcase as we feel it’s an ideal location, since our restaurant is located on Harris Lake and surrounded by ducks!”

If you and your family or friends have an ongoing debate about wine versus beer, you’ll enjoy the Meritage Bistro’s take on pairings Friday night.

With so many tongue-tempting tastes in the craft beer realm, the game is on.  Which is better, smooth, vintage wines or the rustic, yeasty, earthy flavors of custom ales and beers? Mouth-watering short ribs might scream for beer while mushroom risotto might demand a fine wine.  Bring it on!

On the Verandah is participating both Friday and Saturday with the Blackbird Vineyards Wine Dinner on Friday and Saturday’s Persian Wine Dinner.

Friday evening, On the Verandah teams up with Blackbird Vineyards, setting the stage for the culinary genius of Andrew Figel and Jerri Fifer.  Blackbird’s all magnum and large formats support the theme of the evening: Big!  No one will go home hungry after a generous six-course spread.  The wine is big in flavor and makes a big splash at any event.  Plus, the wine comes in practical large formats for serving big crowds with big thirsts.

On Saturday, join On the Verandah for a Persian Spectacular featuring wines from Persian owners/producers such as Darioush and Maysarra.  Authentic Persian cuisine, exotic herbs, plump, tender beans, juicy meats, Iranian rices, Mid-Eastern cheeses, and delicious flatbreads will be prepared by guest chef Reza Setayesh of Rezaz, Baba Nahm, and BimBeriBon in Asheville. 

It’s impossible to list all the wine dinners, but suffice it to say many have already sold out. Visit HighlandsFoodandWine.com for a complete wine dinner list. You might include one or two of these most special dinners in your weekend.

To pick up a full weekend schedule and your event wristbands, stop by the box office at 411 North Fourth Street in downtown Highlands, in the Mountain Brook Center. The office is open Thursday, November 8, from 9:00 A.M. until 5:00 P.M.; Friday, November 9, from 9:00 A.M. until 2:00 P.M.; Saturday, November 10, from 9:00 A.M. until 2:00 P.M.; and Sunday, November 11, from 9:00 A.M. until noon.