Yaaaaaay! There were TWO special events going on when my dad & I went to Disney! Besides MNSSHP, there was the more mature, posh, international (which makes it really fancy) Food & Wine festival. I heard about it when I was there in February (let me reiterate, it is very RARE that I make it to Disney besides once every four years. I don't think we meant for that pattern to happen, but as a family, we went every four years. It had been four years since my last visit when Mike & I went, but this trip with my dad came out of the blue for both of us and I felt very special and surprised that I got to go again!). Anyway, we got the chance to attend both of these special events, and here's everything I know about the Food & Wine Festival at Epcot!!
First of all, you don't have to pay extra to attend. It started Sept. 28 and goes to Nov. 12 so you can still go!! They say you can "taste your way around the world," and it's true. But you also have to "pay your way around the world." Nothing is free, of course, but the prices aren't crazy! The highest we paid was $8 and change for the Fairy Tale Cuvee (fancy, exclusive-to-Disney champagne), and the cheapest was around $1.75 for the Dark Chocolate Mousse with Chili and Salted Caramel (both products I mentioned were things I heard about from a video I watched before the trip). Here's the video on some beverages (including the Cuvee!), and one on the food!
Duffy is so cute. I met him in his pumpkin outfit (you can see our picture in my MNSSHP post) but here he is for sale in his Chef Duffy outfit! How adorable! I have a little magnet plush that I keep on my bag, and I'm thinking of making him tiny outfits out of felt :)
Well, we started our tour around the world at the Terra booth, then went clockwise from Mexico to Canada. I believe "Terra" is Disney's vegan booth. I had the Chili Colorado with House-made Chips and Cashew Cheese featuring Gardein Beefless Tips:
It was alright, just too spicy and beef-flavored for me! I know it's not real beef, but man they did a good job making it taste like the real thing!!
In Italy we each had a Cannoli al Cioccolato (Chocolate Covered Cannoli). Yum!
In Japan, we saw the candy-maker Miyuki (that's also my sister-in-law's name :)) who isn't part of the festival--she's here year-round! And her candy creations are awesome. They donate the candy to children's hospitals!
At the Japan booth I got the Sake Strawberry Mist, which is a blended beverage, kind of like a frozen margarita, but with sake. It was soooooo good. Probably my favorite purchase of the food & wine trip!
Next, we passed one of the official festival shops, where they have all the festival merchandise. I read about this plate on the festival facebook page and had my dad pose with it. It's see-through and has a checklist of all the countries, and a spot on the corner for your wine glass! (We didn't see anyone using these but it's a cute idea.)
Also, there is an exclusive festival Vinylmation figure--the waiter from Lady & the Tramp, with spaghetti and meatballs on one ear, and a starry night sky on the other.
We took a break from all that food & wine and went back to Future World for Soarin' (we had a fastpass), Journey Into Imagination (an old family-favorite :)), Captain EO (which we saw YEARS ago), Turtle Talk with Crush (which was so much fun to watch), and The Seas with Nemo and Friends. Walking back to the food, we saw a beautiful rainbow!
A few moments later, it became a double rainbow!! But very faint, and only for about a minute.
In Australia, I had Shrimp on the Barbie with Pepper Berry Citrus Glaze!
Saw a raspberry plant:
And then had my Iron Horse Fairy Tale Cuvee!
I feel like a princess with this drink!
Dad had the JH Selbach Riesling Classic from Germany (notice the small wine glass you get):
Then, of course, I was taken with the glasses at the little glass stand. Here's a mug with a scene from Pirates of the Caribbean, and "Von Goofy Burgermeister."
Then we went to America! I had Linda Bean's Perfect Maine Clam Chowder:
Mmm. I love chowdah.
Then there was New Zealand, where my dad got Kim Crawford Un-Oaked Chardonnay. They also told him here that he looks like Steven Spielberg.
What do you think? (On a side note, I prefer my chardonnay oakey).
That's right, Australia!!
Nope, just kidding. France!
I really should have tried the Escargots Persillade en Brioche (Garlic and Parsley Snails in Brioche--just reading straight from the pamphlet here, translation and all). They were served as three little "boules" of bread like a hidden Mickey. But I didn't think that'd go with creme brulee!
I was pretty full at that point, but I wanted to try the Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki at Greece! So I did.
I loved the portion sizes all through the festival! It was like tapas!
Then we came to "Desserts and Champagne." I know, we should have started there first ;) Look at the cool kiosk with the fake windows and "people" inside:
With hardly any room left, we ordered two "Dark Chocolate Mousse with Chili and Salted Caramel"s. Sounds amazing, right??
Looks amazing, too (if small)! Well, it was TOO SPICY for both of us. I really wanted to like it, but my tongue and mouth just couldn't take it. Goodbye, yummy-looking chocolate. Straight into the garbage. Good thing it was the cheapest-priced dish we bought!
A giant glass of champagne was one of the decorations:
We stayed for Illuminations: Reflections of Earth, then hung out for a while after for Extra Magic Hours.
We rode Spaceship Earth and went to some shops (Mouse Gears, and the one by the back exit to the resorts), and continued on to Mexico.
Got some churritos (wanted plain old churros but this is what was on the menu). Still tasty!! With caramel dipping sauce:
There are some things that come out at night, like the special lighting on Spaceship Earth, the twinkling sidewalks, and this projection of the Food & Wine Festival sign:
So long, Epcot! See ya real soon!
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