Taste tour: Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival

Taste trotting: Savor a global menu of wine and food at the 2011 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.

By Jill E. Cooper

Call me a nerd, but I like to learn something new while I’m on vacation.  It’s back-to-school season, so why not do something educational on your next trip?  I’m not talking about tackling differential equations here.  I’m talking about a subject we can all sink our teeth into – extraordinary gourmet food!  Walt Disney World recently launched its 16th annual International Food & Wine Festival in its second oldest Florida theme park, Epcot, through Nov. 13.  To truly savor the experience, be thirsty and hungry. In addition to all the delicious, exotic, tapas-sized treats and more than 300 wines from around the world, visitors can also sample cooking classes and seminars that may just make them the envy of their foodie friends.

The six-week foodganza hosts daily seminars that are surprisingly affordable, typically costing less than $15 for a 45-minute lesson on anything ranging from wine and cheese pairings to the preparation of trendy cocktails.  You don’t need to be a bona fide culinary insider to recognize some of the instructors either.  Dying to know the proper form for creating sugar roses? Ask The Cake Boss himself — Buddy Valastry.  Call (407) WDW-FEST to reserve your spot in the classes that most interest you.

If you have a sweet tooth and you’re lucky enough to visit on Fridays in October and November, don’t forget to hit 3D: Disney’s Dessert Discovery on select Thursday and Friday nights, which is as blissful as it sounds. Sample several treats and complementary cordials for the grand finale: a VIP viewing of Illuminations: Reflections of the Earth.

Talk about a feast for the senses!

Related resources

• Florida vacation
• Orlando hotels
• Orlando vacations
• Tampa hotels

Jill E. Cooper has been an aficionado of the Disney theme parks since age seven.  She is a deliriously happy addition to the 2011 Disney World Moms Panel.  She and her small family have recently added Disney Cruise Line and Adventures by Disney vacations to their portfolio of magical Disney travel experiences.

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