Wine and Food Pairings at Wine and Food Week in The Woodlands
Get ready all you wine and food lovers since the 20th Annual Wine and Food Week in The Woods starts next Wednesday. In reality, it is Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday featuring some of the BEST in wines along with foods prepared by some of the World’s finest and most celebrated Chefs. This is your opportunity to sip and taste some of the most diverse wines around paired with a wide range of ethnic and regional foods. This is not your normal wine events since it is carefully crafted by Clifton and Constance McDerby who started this regional wine event. Start Wednesday morning with Yoga and wine followed by travel through several event rooms at The Marriot with each room featuring wines from one of several countries paired with foods from that country. Wine experts will escort groups of “wine tourists” to travel from each “country” to another. The dress is casual business, but the learning experiences will formally train you on each of the countries’ varied wines. These wine and food adventures focus on the wines of countries you might not be familiar with. Bring a friend to enjoy even more since food and wine experiences are best when shared. The events are mainly centered around The Marriott on The Woodlands Waterway with events in other areas such as the Rose’ Soiree on Thursday evening at one of Oprah Winfrey’s favorite event centers call the Peach Orchard. This event calls for wearing pink since the featured wines are pink in color. Last year’s event saw a few white and red wines on the serving tables in addition to the “pinks” generously poured and paired with fine finger foods.
The Carlton Woods Country Club will host “Ladies of the Vine” next Friday, featuring women leading the way in the wine industry. There are still a few tickets available for this world class, formal event with wine tastings followed by a seated lunch with a variety of courses and wines while the women wine panels discusses trends in the wine industry. My bet is that this will be fashion show of wine event patrons wearing the most fashionable clothing.
Friday evening sees a shift to a casual event of “Sips, Suds, and Sliders” at The Marriott. World-class wines, beers, and sliders will be paired with music.
Saturday is the pinnacle of wine and food events with the Wine Rendezvous Grand Tasting and Chef’s Showcase. The food preparation begins that Saturday morning in the kitchens of The Marriott. I have been behind the scenes to witness a frenzy of chopping, cutting, and food preparations in a kitchen of several thousand square feet in size. As the evening approaches, the kitchen clamor becomes deafening. All of this food preparation is for the Chef of Chef’s Competition during the Wine Rendezvous Grand Tasting. While patrons sip on 500+ different wines, the Chefs will be in various wine pods assembling their food creations for the judges to judge and for you to enjoy. The judges will determine the winning Chef who receives $5,000 and the coveted Waterford crystal Chef of Chef’s Award. The real winner will be you as you sip on premium wines and indulge in food creations from 50 or so acclaimed Chefs. You will find me there in my tuxedo, boots, and Stetson. You can “super-size” your Saturday evening experience with the Bayway VIP Luxury Lounge. The entrance to the VIP Lounge is guarded with only those entering the Lounge with the proper credentials to enjoy ultra-premium wines there. Several years ago, I enjoyed a $3,000+ bottle of wine in that lounge with the winemaker.

Will I get a chance to meet you at these events? For tickets to these events during the 20th anniversary of this wine and food extravaganza, go to www.WineAndFoodWeek.com.