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Wine Tastings
Cape May Food & Wine Festival
SEPTEMBER 19-27, 2009
Our 13th Anniversary Event!
CAPE MAY— Discover culinary masters, award-winning wines and fabulous local flavors at the 13th annual Cape May Food & Wine Festival, sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC). Indulge in what the New York Times has dubbed “the restaurant capital of New Jersey” with nine days of events for those who love good food and fine wine from Saturday, Sept. 19 through Sunday, Sept. 27.
Enjoy the following festival offerings: Cape May Harvest Food & Wine Tasting, Chefs Cook-Off, Gourmet Marketplace, People’s Choice Chowder Contest, five Chefs’ Dine-Arounds, five Gourmet Luncheons, Winery Cellar Tours & Tastings, Beer-Tasting Dinner, Cape May Wine Weekend, Cape Wine Trail, Cape May Wine School plus classes and demonstrations. It is easy to see why the annual Cape May Food & Wine Festival is an American Bus Association “Top 100 Event in North America.”
Sip and swirl your way into the 13th annual Cape May Food & wine Festival with Winery Cellar Tours & Tastings at the Cape May Winery at 711 Town Bank Rd. in North Cape May. Spend the afternoon touring the vineyard to see how the grapes are grown. Get an introduction to the winemaker’s art in the winery and enjoy a barrel-tasting accompanied by cheese and fruit, and a sampling of five to six kinds of wine. Tours are offered daily from Saturday, Sept. 19 through Sunday, Sept. 27 at 3 p.m. Tours are limited to 40 people per tour. Admission is $20 per person and includes a complimentary souvenir tasting glass.
Reap the bounty of the season at the Cape May Harvest Food & Wine Tasting at the Carriage House Tearoom & Café located on the grounds of the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St.
On Saturday, Sept. 19 at 6 p.m. indulge in a sampling dinner inspired by local products, co-sponsored by the Seaside Cheese Company and the Cape May Winery. Representatives from both sponsors will be on hand to discuss their products and appropriate pairings. The evening begins with butlered hors d’oeuvres and a cheese sampling. Afterwards, you will be served a salad course and sample three dinner entrees and two desserts. Each course is paired with wine from the Cape May Winery. Limited event; reserve early. Admission is $85 per person. Accessible event.
Sample the crème de la crème at the festival’s signature event, the Gourmet Marketplace on Sunday, Sept. 20 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Experience a complete wine and culinary celebration featuring samplings from the finest restaurants in the area, the Chefs Cook-Off, the People’s Choice Chowder Contest, wine tastings and mini-vineyard tours at this outdoor event held on the beautiful grounds of the Cape May Winery at 711 Town Bank Rd. in North Cape May. Tickle your taste buds as you sample some of the signature dishes from Cape May’s premier restaurants and other sponsors under the food tent. Local chefs will be feeling the competitive heat when they face off in a test of talent, skill and speed during the Chefs Cook-Off.
America’s beer authority, former Sirius Radio contributor and author, Gary Monterosso will emcee this year’s Chefs Cook-off and a panel of judges will determine the winner. You’re the judge at the People’s Choice Chowder Contest as you vote for your favorite chowder provided by a selection of participating restaurants (proceeds benefit Cape May Kiwanis Club). A free trolley shuttle will be provided from Cape May’s Washington Street Mall Information Booth to the winery. Admission is $25 per person. Limited event. Sorry, we can’t accommodate children at this event.
Visit five of Cape May’s best restaurants all in one night for a five-course gourmet feast with the popular Chefs’ Dine-Arounds. Hop on board one of MAC’s trolleys for a unique and delicious way to get a taste of Cape May. The trolley will shuttle you to five premier Cape May restaurants which will each serve a different course in your five-course gourmet feast. Each course will be paired with an appropriate wine. A representative from the sponsoring winery will be on hand to explain the pairings. The wines on your dine-around will be available for purchase. This year’s Chefs’ Dine-Arounds are offered Sunday, Sept. 20 through Thursday, Sept. 24 at 6 p.m. Each night features a different combination of restaurants. Reserve early; limited to 34 people per night. The Dine-Around on Sunday, Sept. 20 has already sold-out. Admission is $125 per person (gratuity included). A list of restaurants and menus will be available in August.
A far cry from the brown bag lunch—the Gourmet Lunches from Monday, Sept. 21 through Friday, Sept. 25 at 12:30 p.m. feature a selection of Cape May restaurants offering three-course gourmet lunches. Lunches are served in a different restaurant each day. Lunch at restaurants including the Washington Inn, 801 Washington St., Aleathea’s at the Inn of Cape May, 7 Ocean St., and others. A complete list of restaurants and menus will be available in August. Limited to 40 people per restaurant. Admission is $25 per person.
Master the art of cooking with herbs, learn from a culinary master during a class with Washington Inn’s Executive Chef Mimi Wood, discuss wines from Washington State with Mark Metzger from American BD wine distributors, and much more during the Food & Wine Classes. Learn a new epicurean skill Monday, Sept. 21 through Thursday, Sept. 24 at 9:45 a.m., 11a.m. and 2 p.m. Admission is $25 per person per session. Call for schedule and registration. Classes and sponsors are subject to change.
If you prefer a pint over a pinot, then don’t miss the Beer Tasting Dinner on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 6 p.m. Learn how to pair beer with food with America’s beer authority and former Sirius Radio contributor Gary Monterosso during a four-course dinner at Aleathea’s Restaurant at the Inn of Cape May, 7 Ocean St. Monterosso has matched each course to a different style beer and he will be on hand to discuss the pairings. Reserve early; limited to 50 people. Admission $65 per person (gratuity included).
Get an up-close look at Cape May’s history and architecture followed by a gourmet brunch on the Gourmet Brunch Walk on Wednesday, Sept. 23 and Friday, Sept. 25 at 10 a.m. Knowledgeable guides will build your appetite as they take you on a walking tour through Cape May’s Historic District. The tour ends at the famous Mad Batter restaurant, 19 Jackson St., where you’ll enjoy a gourmet brunch in what New Jersey Monthly deems one of the “best brunch and lunch” spots. Admission is $20 for adults and $15 for children (ages 3-12). Reserve early; each tour is limited to 40 people.
Learn how your seafood gets from the sea to your table and discover how Cape May has become our country’s fourth largest commercial fishing port with a Fisherman’s Wharf Tour, a guided tour of the Fisherman’s Wharf at the Lobster House. Admission is $10 for adults and $7 for children (ages 3-12). Tours are offered Saturdays, Sept. 19 and 26 at 11 a.m. and Tuesday, Sept. 22 and Thursday, Sept. 24 at 10 a.m.
Triple your food and wine experience during the Cape May Wine Weekend, which combines a Wine Tasting Dinner, Winery Cellar Tour and Wine Tasting Class for a weekend of total indulgence. The weekend begins at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 25 with a four-course dinner at the Washington Inn, 801 Washington St., featuring wines themed to the Sunday Wine School Class (“Great wines that stretch your dollar”).
Guests will be treated to individual attention from the wine steward. On Saturday, Sept. 26 at 3 p.m., visit the award-winning Cape May Winery, 711 Town Bank Rd., for a tour of the vineyard, an introduction to the winemaker’s art, and a barrel tasting with cheese and fruit. On Sunday, Sept. 27 at 1 p.m. learn the finer points of fine wines at a The Cape May Wine School class “More in the bottle for your buck—Great wines that stretch your dollar,” at the Washington Inn. The complete package is $135 per person. The Cape May Wine School class can be purchased separately for $30 per person.
Keith Bader from Lauber Imports shares his knowledge of the world of wine at the Cape May Wine School class “More in the bottle for your buck—Great wines that stretch your dollar,” on Sunday, Sept. 27 at 1 p.m. at the Washington Inn, 801 Washington St. Learn to discern and appreciate affordable wines while increasing your knowledge of pairings. Each class is limited to 80 people and admission is $30 per person.
New in 2009! Spend the afternoon visiting Cape May County’s wineries and sampling the fruits of winemakers’ labor on the Cape May Wine Trail. First, enjoy lunch at the Carriage House Tearoom and Café, located on the beautiful grounds of the Emlen Physick Estate at 1048 Washington St. Following lunch, board a trolley shuttle and visit three wineries, Natali Vineyards, Turdo Vineyards and Cape May Winery where you will learn about viniculture and visit the tasting rooms. Admission is $75 per person and includes lunch, wine tastings at each vineyard and a wine tasting glass. Limited event, reserve early!
Participating restaurants for this year’s Food & Wine Festival include some of the finest in the area: 410 Bank Street, A Ca Mia, Aleathea’s, Axelsson’s Blue Claw, Bella Mangiata, Black Duck, Blue Pig Tavern, Café Promenade, The Carriage House Tearoom & Café, Copper Fish, The Ebbitt Room, Godmothers, Harbor View, Lucky Bones, The Mad Batter, Martini Beach, The Moonfish Grille, Merion Inn, Tisha’s, Union Park and The Washington Inn, just to name a few. Participating restaurants are subject to change.
Vote for your favorite restaurant by logging onto Capemay.com for its “The Best of Cape May” survey in August. Winners in the food and restaurant categories will be posted on the website in September and announced at the Gourmet Marketplace.
The 13th annual Cape May Food & Wine Festival is presented by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC), in conjunction with Cape May’s restaurant community. Sponsors include Icon Estates, Gallo Wine Sales of NJ, American B.D. Company, Cape May Winery, Robert Hall, Regal Wine Imports, Turdo Vineyards, Natali Vineyards, Washington Selections, Mercer Estates, Fedway, Rental City, igourmet.com, Seaside Cheese Co., Triple Oaks Nursery, and Capemay.com. The Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of Cape May’s heritage. MAC also fosters the performing arts. MAC membership is open to all. For information about MAC’s year-round schedule of tours, festivals, and special events, call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278, or visit MAC’s Web site at www.capemaymac.org. For information about restaurants, accommodations and shopping, call the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cape May at 609-884-5508.
For a complete Calendar at a Glance, click HERE.
•Gourmet Marketplace
•Cape May Harvest Food & Wine Tasting
•Beer Tasting Dinner
•Gourmet Lunches
•Chefs’ Dine-Arounds
•Classes, Seminars & Tastings
