LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Red and white tea. Savory
strudel. Argentinian wines. Beer and ale. The hottest trends
in food, wine, tea and beer from around the world are featured
at the 11th annual Epcot International Food and Wine Festival
Sept. 29-Nov. 12 at Walt Disney World Resort.
Tea Talk: A "Cuppa" Red or White?
To mark its three centuries in the tea sourcing and
blending business, Twinings showcases its latest trends in a
festival exhibit, "300 Year Celebration of Tea," at
the Cottage Garden by the United Kingdom pavilion. Disney
guests will find that red tea is the new green tea -- the
tasty brew made from the African Rooibos plant is naturally
caffeine free and packed with anti-oxidants. They'll also
learn that tea isn't just an accompaniment for cookies and
scones -- it pairs nicely with an array of foods including
poultry, beef and seafood.
Cooking with tea is another popular trend -- it's the
perfect ingredient in a marinade, tenderizer or condiment and
can add new flavor to common meals. Herbal infusions and fruit
teas, in particular, add zip to pastries and entrees.
Coming this winter: Twinings will introduce Pure White Tea
made from Camellia Sinensis, the same plant as green and black
teas. The difference in this brew: it's made from unopened
rare single tip buds from the Fujian province in China,
revealing a delicately smooth and velvety flavor and reigning
as one of the world's greatest teas.
Foodies Find That Vegetables Rule
This year's festival goes all out to please a wide variety
of palates. Epcot Executive Chef Christine Weissman has nearly
doubled the number of vegetable-inspired tasting items at the
fest's international marketplaces. Choices include Curried
Butternut Squash Soup with Naan Bread at the India
marketplace; Vegetable Curry at the Thailand kiosk; a savory
strudel of carrots, peppers, onions, zucchini and cabbage with
Remoulade at the Germany marketplace; and several more. Sushi,
salmon, lamb and other fish- and meat-inspired dishes are also
on the marketplace menus.
For the first time, international marketplaces rimming
World Showcase Lagoon will post pairing suggestions of a wine
or beer with menu tasting items at each kiosk, Weissman says.
"People are asking more and more for opportunities to be
educated about how to pair food items with beverages. These
tastes offer an ideal way to discover perfect pairings,"
she says.
Marketplaces this year also will showcase more information
about the regions and countries represented at each kiosk.
The Wine Lowdown
In the past several years, wines from Argentina have gained
on Chilean wines in popularity, says Epcot Beverage Manager
Jason Cha-Kim. Argentina is famous for its Malbec full-bodied
red, a fruit-forward, affordable wine that suits the American
palate. Guests can taste Bodegas Salentein Malbec at the
Argentina marketplace in World Showcase, where it pairs well
with spicy beef empanadas.
Another hot wine this year is the Austrian Gruner Veltliner
(nicknamed GruVee), a pale crisp medium-bodied wine with spicy
flavors. Bottles of GruVee will be sold at the Festival
Welcome Center at Innoventions West in Future World.
Ever since the hit wine film "Sideways" wowed
audiences, Pinot Noirs have enjoyed the spotlight. The
festival features Pinots by the bottle from Santa Barbara,
Oregon, Burgundy and New Zealand. Guests also can taste a
Pinot at the New Zealand marketplace in World Showcase.
Cha-Kim, who books winemakers from around the world for the
yearly six-week fest, says the latest trends in wine and beer
will be center stage. Champagne continues to make a big splash
-- it comes in individual 187-milliliter bottles at the
Festival Welcome Center and will be featured in a
"Brilliant Bubbles" Exquisite Evenings at Epcot
opening-day dinner.
Throughout Future World and World Showcase, festival trends
appear:
- The welcome center wine shop features a Bodegas Pinord
wine (Moscatel, Merlot) uniquely packaged in bottles
shaped like a grape cluster.
- An up-and-coming wine-producing region in western
Australia, Margaret River, showcases what Cha-Kim
describes as a "fabulous Cabernet Sauvignon" at
the Australia, Discover Down Under experience.
- Ice wines from Canada serve up sweet refreshment, and
the festival will feature Mission Hill, Inniskillin and
Chateau des Charmes Ice Wines at the Festival Welcome
Center seminars and wine shop, as well as at the Party for
the Senses Grand Tasting.
- The latest from Budweiser -- Peels is a refreshing
malted beverage made with pure fruit juice and 5 percent
alcohol.
- Diverse beer flavors take center stage at the Hops and
Barley Market this year. Here, guests can sample nine
types of Samuel Adams beers, including the festival's
exclusively brewed 11th Anniversary Beer, plus Octoberfest,
Hefeweizen, Cherry Wheat and Light brews.
More wine buzz:
- Because of the continued "dramatic increase in
quality" of Chilean wineries, Epcot will feature both
Concha y Toro and Casa Lapostolle at the festival's third
South American dinner Oct. 5 at Odyssey.
- The "wine geek" community, better known as the
ABC Club (Anything But Chardonnay), has elevated the
under-appreciated Riesling to the status of "the next
Chardonnay," Cha-Kim says. "There's so much
Chardonnay in the market, and much of it has been so over-oaked
or is too sweet and fruity. There are many styles of
Riesling, from sweet to dry, with super-quality from
Germany and affordable wines from Canada or Australia. The
beauty of it is that it can be grown in many different
areas, including Canada and other colder regions."
- The New World Australian region, Coonawarra, is
producing high-quality Cabernet Sauvignon. Unlike the
Margaret River Cabernets that are produced in the French
fashion with subtle fruits, "the Coonawarra is like a
fruit bomb in the California style, fruity and
full-bodied," Cha-Kim says.
Several Rieslings, the mighty Shiraz, and both Coonawarra
and Margaret River Cabernets will be among hundreds of wines
to strut their flavors at the 11th annual fest. More than 100
wineries offer tastings, and guests can sample the cuisine of
more than 25 international marketplaces in tasting portions
ranging from $1.50 to $4.50.
Entrance to the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival,
plus wine and beer seminars, cooking demonstrations, Eat to
the Beat! concerts, culinary exhibits and all attractions and
park entertainment is included with regular Epcot admission.
Guests can call 407/WDW-FEST for information or reservations
for special events and programs, or visit the Web site: disneyworld.com/foodandwine,
and link to Epcot for festival details.
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