The countdown is on for the Midwest’s premier culinary celebration – the Grand Rapids International Wine, Beer & Food Festival – coming up November 16-18 at DeVos Place. Admission tickets and Pairing reservations open on Friday, September 15 at GRWineFestival.com.
This annual kick-off to the holiday season begins on Thursday, November 16 with a special VIP Preview Night. The $150 VIP Preview Ticket includes specialties from small plate restaurants for a strolling dinner experience; a wine tasting session, distilled spirit tasting session, and beer tasting session; a demonstration on the Meijer Food Stage, a Meet the Maker presentation and “best of the best” samples from the 100 select new release, special vintage, and exclusive Festival beverages hand-selected by sommeliers, restauranteurs and other industry leaders that you don’t want to miss. A limited number of VIP Preview Plus tickets are available for $225 and include the addition of a special one-hour multi-course meal and beverage PAIRING from either Four Rose’s Cafe, One.Twenty.Three, or Monsoon Vietnamese Cuisine (Festival Pairing Restaurants).
Beginning on Friday, November 17, General Admission tickets are $20 per person, per day with festival hours running from 4-9pm and Saturday, November 18, 2-9pm. Tasting tickets will be available for purchase online and at the event for 50 cents each, used for both food and beverages.
Six regional restaurants are offering intimate Pairings on Friday and Saturday, sponsored by Bekins – a local, family-owned, internationally acclaimed appliance and electronics company in West Michigan founded in 1975 – including Archival Brewing, Four Roses Café, Monsoon, One.Twenty.Three, Redwater Restaurant Group and The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck. These limited-seating, four- to six-course dinners are prepared by the featured chefs tableside as they talk you through the meal and the selected beverage pairing. Complete menus, along with seating times and prices, are found at GRWineFestival.com.
As always, the Festival offers an unparalleled diversity of beverages available for sampling – from beer and cider to wine and spirts, as well as signature coffees and teas – with over 1,200 offerings from around the world, under one roof in featured areas:
- Wines (including The Elite Collection) in The Vineyard (Steelcase Ballroom)
- Beer (local, domestic and international) in Beer City Station (Hall C)
- Cider (local and national) in Cider Row (Hall C)
- Michigan Craft spirits in The Barrel Room (Welsh Lobby)
- Coffees & Cordials (along with decadent desserts) in Rendezbrew (Grand Gallery)
- Non-alcoholic options in both The Vineyard and Beer City Station
Find the latest and greatest specialty foods and beverages as you stroll around the Meijer Marketplace. Purchase and sample several products, all available at various Meijer stores/markets. On one end, find the Meijer Food Stage where you can learn from and sample recipes directly from these innovative food creators using products available in the Marketplace. On the other end, find the Meet the Maker Stage, where gifted entrepreneurs share their stories in product development and business success.
Elevate your Festival experience by taking part in one of the various wine, beer and spirit Tasting Sessions taking place in The Vineyard and Beer City Station, led by leaders in the beverage industry. Not only will you hear about the featured beverages, but you’ll get tips on how to properly sniff, sip and savor them. A select number of tasting tickets is required to participate.
Of course, there will also be live music in the various halls to add to the atmosphere of the event each evening.
Since its inception in 2008, this Festival – named by Forbes.com in 2019 as one of a dozen “Fall Wine Festivals In North America You Don’t Want to Miss” and 8 Best Fall Festivals in Michigan by BestThingsMI.com – has grown into the largest and most popular of its kind in the Midwest. Admission tickets, pairing reservations, tasting sessions and other details will be posted in early fall at GRWineFestival.com.
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