More Epcot International Food & Wine Festival dishes and beverages revealed

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With less than two weeks until the 18th annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival begins, I have more details about new foods, wines and beers that will be offered.

Members of the AllEars.Net staff first previewed some of the items at a Tables in Wonderland event in July, and you can read about those here. Now, Epcot Executive Chef Jens Dahlmann is sharing more tastes to tempt your palate.

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At the Hops & Barley Marketplace, a Griddled Lobster Tail with Garlic Herb Butter replaces last year’s lobster claw and is paired with La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. Dahlmann said, “It will have the flavors of saltwater and drizzled butter — and it doesn’t get better than that!” I have to agree with him. Chef Marianne Hunnel, who is charged with finding the perfect beverage pairings for Dahlmann’s creations, described the La Crema as a “match made in heaven.”

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In the Africa Marketplace (which has evolved from the South Africa Marketplace of previous years), guests will find a Berbere Style Beef with Onions, Jalapeños, Tomato, Okra and Pap. Though many might find it delicious, this dish was probably my least favorite of all that I’ve sampled. I’m not a big fan of grits, which is what pap is similar to, and the flavor of the meat just didn’t appeal to me.

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The Berbere Style Beef is paired with The Wolftrap Red from Africa, which is a blend of syrah, mourvedre and viognier. Deb Wills tried it at the previous tasting and said, “I have had this wine without food before and not cared for it. I tried it again to see how it went with food, and it paired well with the filet.” She went on to say that fans of the viognier grape will really want to give this wine a tasting.

This year’s new marketplace — Scotland — features a Vegetarian Haggis that has foodies and vegetarians talking. Chef Dahlmann described it this way: “It will taste like a beautiful, grainy vegetable patty, almost like the idea of a veggie burger, but we just make it really, really good. We serve it with neeps and tatties, or rutabagas and potatoes, so it is very traditional.”

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Scotland also will sell a Scottish Banoffee Tart, which is layered with bananas, whisky, whisky toffee sauce and sweet cream and topped with chocolate shavings. If you like the taste of toffee, you won’t want to miss this dessert!

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Beverages at the Scotland Marketplace include a Loch Lomond cocktail made with Scotch Whisky, Drambuie and Dry Vermouth; a flight of whisky, with the 12-, 15- and 18-year-old Scotch whisky; and Innis & Gunn Beer. “What’s really great about the offerings is that guests who have always wanted to try an 18-year-old Scotch but didn’t want to commit to a $100 bottle can taste it as part of the flight for $12 or by itself,” Hunnel said.

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At the Desserts and Champagne Marketplace, festival organizers are introducing Frozen S’Mores, which taste just like you would think. They are made from Nesquik with toasted marshmallow syrup and topped with chocolate, marshmallows and a graham cracker. This is a non-alcoholic beverage that was developed for kids but is sure to be a hit with the young-at-heart as well.

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Finally, at the Refreshment Port, which is a permanent location near Canada, guests will find a special version of the wildly popular pineapple Dole Whip. This one is orange-flavored, and adults can add Creme de Cacao White liqueur for a flavor boost. Trust me when I say that you will want to enjoy this treat. What a great combination! Interestingly, the Cherryman Maraschino Cherry is a new product that has no artificial red dyes and is not as sweet as a traditional maraschino cherry. I really didn’t notice much difference in the taste, though.

Dole has another new product at the Refreshment Port for the Food & Wine Festival: Pineapple beignets. These will be fresh pineapple rings that are dipped in bread and fried. In addition, the chicken shanks on the stand’s current menu will get new sweet-and-sour dipping sauces for the festival.

There will be three Florida beers at the festival: Orlando Brewing Company is creating a brew called Sun Shade Organic Pale Ale just for the festival; the Florida Beer Company will bring its Devil’s Triangle from Melbourne; and Cigar City Brewing in Tampa will serve Florida Cracker Belgian-style White Ale.

“I think I am most excited to get that energy [of the festival] back at Epcot,” said Dahlmann. “The cast members get excited, the guests get excited, the promenade has a hustle and bustle. It’s the driving energy with the love of food and wine. It’s a feeling, not a particular thing. It’s my favorite time of the year. It’s like Christmas!”

DISCLAIMER: I was a guest of Walt Disney World at a media preview for the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. This did not affect my story, and my opinions are my own.

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2 Replies to “More Epcot International Food & Wine Festival dishes and beverages revealed”

  1. I cannot wait to attend the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival in November. Staying on Disney property from 11/3 – 11/8. My family have attended in the past and feel that it gets better and better every year.

  2. No doubt about it, the Epco t Food and Wine festival is one of the best events one can ever visit. I’ve gone back every year since 2006.