What’s new at this year’s Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience
Billing itself as the region’s foremost global wine and food event, the Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience (HWFE) – May 16 to 19 – is now in its third year.
"In just a short time, we've made a national impact as the first international wine and food festival in Sonoma County and Napa Valley, showcasing wines from around the globe,” said Steve Dveris, founder and CEO of the festival. “Our event pillars remain celebrating the talented makers, honoring our agricultural roots, culinary diversity, and sustainability, while pairing local talent with top chefs nationwide.”
New highlights this year include J Vineyards’ Shifting the Lens exclusive experience with Tu David Phu, James Beard Award nominee, “Top Chef” contestant and a San Francisco Chronicle “Rising Star Chef,” a Bollywood Culinary Dance Celebration at La Crema Winery, and a Wine-Down Pool Party at Francis Ford Coppola Winery. This year’s event will also feature a Culinary Demonstration at Little Saint Healdsburg with celebrity chef and cookbook author Amanda Freitag and a special Hawaii-themed dinner party at The Matheson with local chef Dustin Valette and Hawaii chef Lee Anne Wong, raising awareness that Maui is open for business and welcomes travelers back to the island.
Giving back to the community is paramount, Dveris said, and the generosity will have a broad reach.
The outdoor concert at Rodney Strong Vineyards on Friday evening with Christone “Kingfish” Ingram will benefit Farm to Pantry, whose goal is to bring together our communities to end food injustice and reverse global warming by rescuing and sharing locally grown food with those who have been marginalized.
HFWE will also contribute to the Sonoma County Grape Growers Foundation. The organization’s mission is to raise funds that support the Leadership Academy, workforce development and other resources that elevate local vineyard employees and their families.
This year’s event will also support Healdsburg Future Farmers of America (FFA). Sponsored by Foley Family Foundation, a significant donation will go towards the HWFE Future Farmers Scholarship, created by HWFE for students from the local Healdsburg High School FFA chapter.
HWFE, with a string of events in and around Healdsburg, will draw wine and food lovers from more than 30 states, Dveris said.
“Sonoma County is often ranked one of the top tourist destinations and certainly one of the top wine regions in the U.S.,” he explained. “Being able to offer wine and food lovers a curated experience in one of their favorite places is a big draw not just for folks from around the Bay Area and California but entices fans from around the country.”
Co-founder of the event Karissa Kruse, who is also president and CEO of Sonoma County Winegrowers and executive director of Sonoma County Grape Growers Foundation, talked further about the gains made with the first two events and what she hopes guests will enjoy most from the third festival.
Question: What ground have you made now that you’re in your third year?
Answer: We were just named one of the Best Wine Festivals in the U.S. by Wine Enthusiast after only two years. The HWFE experience has quickly established itself as one of the most exciting wine and food festivals in the country.
It’s truly the essence of Sonoma County as it harkens back to a time when the chefs, winemakers, and farmers would be mingling with the guests in a casual way but is complemented by an elevated food and wine experience.
In our third year, the event has a great balance of an exceptional grand tasting and seminars with immersion experiences at local vineyards, wineries, and restaurants. You cannot recreate wine country in another city. HWFE offers its guests a chance to experience and meet the makers in their home literally and figuratively.
Q: What do you hope those who participate go home with?
A: From the beginning, the HWFE has included a focus on agriculture that is rooted in sustainability. Guests have accessibility to the makers, learn about winegrowing and winemaking, and the knowledge that their attendance directly benefited the local community.
We hope guests leave having tried some world class wine and food, maybe they discovered a new favorite wine or maker, and have the opportunity to meet the unrivaled talent behind the plate and the bottle that our event has attracted like no other festival venue.
This will provide them with a better understanding of what goes into each bottle of wine from an agricultural perspective. We also hope they have a new appreciation of supporting local agriculture through the investment the event makes in Farm to Pantry, the Sonoma County Grape Growers Foundation and FFA – drink good, eat good, do good!
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