At long last, it is upon us. The MidAtlantic Wine + Food Festival happens May 14-18. And, of course, the wine will flow, with winemakers from six continents and 10 countries attending. Four of the 2013 festival favorites—Château Tanunda, Hand of God, Domaine Kikones and Martinelli Winery & Vineyards—have returned, and the festival will toast the 16 new wineries that have joined the celebration. Here are a few of the winemakers, cellar masters and owners who will share their wines, their tasting notes and their stories:
Nikolaus Weis is owner-general manager of St. Urbans-Hof Winery in the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer of Germany. More than 80 acres of Riesling produce Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese, Alte Reben, Oba Trocken, Eiswein and more. Wine Spectator awarded 19 of its wines 90 to 95 points, while Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate rated 15 wines with scores between 90 and 97.
Quentin Paillard is an eighth-generation Winemaker of Champagne Pierre Paillard, Bouzy, France. Bouzy is located in the heart of the Montagne de Reims, a renowned Grand Cru for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Five of its champagnes were recently rated 90 to 92 by Wine Spectator.
Carol Shelton is owner of Carol Shelton Wines, Santa Rosa, Calif., and has earned the title of Most Awarded Winemaker in America and Winemaker of the Year three times. Shelton’s goal is to craft small lots from carefully selected vineyards. Zinfandel is her focus and passion.
Patricia Carraro manages the Lidio Carraro Winery, the first Brazilian winery to be internationally recognized as a top boutique winery that produced icon-status wines. It was selected to produce the official wine of the 2014 World Cup.
Johan Reyneke is winemaker and owner of Reyneke Organic Winery, Stellenbosch, South Africa, the only certified biodynamic South African estate. Best Wines Online called its 2010 Syrah “simply one of the best,” and Wine Advocate gave it 94 points.
John Geber is owner of Château Tanunda, Australia’s largest chateau. He traces his ancestry back to Earl De La Warr, after whom Delaware was named. In 2011 the winery was named No. 4 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Outstanding Value wines.
The list goes on. To meet them all, of course, you’ll have to attend the event. “We are thrilled to bring the world of wine to the Mid-Atlantic, and, with the addition of Kerry Damskey, master winemaker from Sula Vineyards in India, we have secured participation from a sixth continent: Asia,” says festival founder Ajit George. “The only way we can top that is if we can find some friends in Antarctica.” Many of the festival wines will be available for sale on May 17 at the Festival Wine Shop in the Bazaar at the DoubleTree at Hilton Downtown Wilmington and at preferred purveyors and wine suppliers in Delaware. Don’t miss a minute of this great event. 660-2200, mawff.org
