San Antonio's New World Wine & Food Festival showcases Argentina by Darryl Beeson Food and wine lovers will celebrate a world of flavors during the San Antonio New World Wine & Food Festival, Nov. 7 – 11, 2007. The festival features internationally renowned vintners, top Texas wine producers and the hottest chefs from San Antonio and Argentina at a variety of culinary and wine-tasting events at locations throughout the city. From winemaker lunches to a black-tie affair, each day features a full slate of food and wine events, with many taking place at some of the areas most renowned restaurants. In its eighth year, the festival continues to present San Antonio as a premier food and wine destination. Festival events emphasize the flavors of the New World regions such as Texas, Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean, while connecting to roots in Old World countries and traditions. This year’s focus is Argentina, including regional cuisines and wines from the Malbec grape, the wine most closely associated with Argentina. The nation's flavors will be woven throughout many festival events and will take center stage at events such as The Black Tie, Friday Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. at the Omni La Mansión del Rio. This affair features visiting several distinquished Argentine experts like Michael Mondavi, John Jordan and more, all offering some of their best wines alongside Argentina-inspired food created by chefs from Argentina and San Antonio. Opportunities to compare and contrast wines from around the world are plentiful. On Wednesday November 7, Michael Mondavi will conduct a comparative tasting of wines from California and Europe at Fleming’s Steakhouse at 6 p.m. Mondavi’s presentation will also educate guests on how a wine's origin, history, grape variety, region and culture influence a wine. Other events will explore the ever-expanding world of Texas wines. The River Walk is preparing for the Texas Vintner Cruises (Wed. Nov. 7 starting at 6 p.m.), offering guests samples of Texas’ top wines, paired with chef-prepared hors d’oeuvres and desserts as they cruise the river within the historic downtown. A Winery Lunch at Becker Vineyards on Friday, Nov. 9 at 12 p.m. will feature tastings of wines from Hill Country wineries as well as wines from visiting Argentinian winemakers. The Cultural Cocktail seminar, Friday Nov. 9 at 6 p.m., features senior editor Heather Johnson from Bon Appetit who will explore new twists on classic cocktails with insights from local mixologists at the hip downtown bar The Vault. The festival highlight is the New World Grand Tasting, taking place this year at The Lodge Restaurant of Castle Hills on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. The Grand Tasting offers a sample of the best tastes of the festival, with celebrity chefs and winemakers presenting their favorites. The festival also offers a family-friendly event, Totally Tejas, at the Rio Cibolo Ranch on Sunday Nov. 11. The event, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., combines wine and food with hands-on demonstrations, crafts, hayrides, river barge rides and story telling. All other events are for adults 21 and over only. Wine and food lovers will indulge themselves for a good cause. The festival benefits local non-profit organizations including Child Advocates of San Antonio and the Center for Foods of the Americas. For more information on festival events or to order tickets, please visit www.nwwff.org or call 210-822-9555. Make contact soon as events fill-up rapidly. The San Antonio New World Wine & Food Festival, founded in 2000, is a non-profit organization designed to promote San Antonio as a premier wine and food destination and a culinary and cultural gateway to Mexico and Latin America. The foods and wines showcase New World regions including Texas, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and emphasize the region's roots in Old World cultures and countries. The Festival features both local and internationally known chefs and winemakers, creating an educational event designed to introduce residents and visitors to the vast diversity of Mexican, Latin American and Spanish cuisines and wines, as well as showcases the broad spectrum of Texas agricultural products.   For more great wine suggestions, click here Do you have any questions, comments or suggestions? Email: jwdineline@aol.com Copyright © 1998 Inter Active Media Solutions. All Rights Reserved. The interactive components of this site require that you use a current browser version of Explorer; be sure to maximize your window out so you can see the entire page. This page was created by Inter Active Media Solutions.