Become a Wine Snob at the Newport Mansion’s Wine and Food Festival
The Food Network's "Chopped" judge Maneet Chauhan will make appearances alongside wine seminars, multi-course high-end dinners and lively brunches.
Maneet Chauhan. Photo by Amelia J. Moore Photography.
It’s almost time for Rhode Island’s best food and wine festival to begin. If you want some serious clout, then the Newport Mansions Wine and Food Festival provides a bonafide boost to wine snob credibility. The oenophile extravaganza takes place Sept. 18-20 at Rosecliff, and this year, it includes wine seminars, multi-course high-end dinners and lively brunches in addition to the tented tasting experience that was the main highlight in previous years.
Perhaps the most notable event in the series is the annual Vintner Dinner, a chef collaboration hosted by Chauhan and featuring Chef Kev D, the Newport Mansions Wine and Food Festival Culinary Director who was an NBC “Celebrity Cooking Showdown” winner and has appeared on “Beat Bobby Flay,” “Great Food Truck Race” and the “Today” show; Chef Adam Greenberg of Sparrow Restaurant in New Milford, Conn., a four-time “Chopped” champion and guest on Food Network’s “Tournament of Champions” and “Guy’s Grocery Games”; and Chef Adam Young of Connecticut’s Sift Bake Shop, Mix, ATY Bar & Bonbons, named Best Baker in America by the Food Network. “The Rhode Show” co-host Will Gilbert will emcee the dinner.
Other popular events include the Soiree du Vin on Saturday night at Rosecliff, also attended by Chauhan. Chauhan is founding partner and president of Morph Hospitality Group in Nashville, Tennessee, but also spent time as an executive chef at restaurants in Chicago, Nashville and New York. She has also appeared on “The Next Iron Chef,” “Iron Chef America,” “The View,” the “Today” show and as a judge on the finale of “Worst Cooks in America” on the Food Network. She won the Food Network competition “Tournament of Champions” in 2021 and 2024.
The Newport Mansions Wine and Food Festival seminars will explore a variety of wines over three days, plus spirit-pairings like rum and artisan chocolate, bourbons and sake. The events also include small tasting plates to complement the wine sand spirits.
A new event is the “RIEDEL Wine Glass Experience,” which highlights the importance of glassware on wine tasting. Other seminars include “Biggest, Baddest Reds of the World,” “Rare and Remarkable Boutique Wines,” “The Origins of Brut Champagne” and “The Art of Charcuterie, as well as sold-out events like the Sunday Jazz Brunch and a “Sips & Sounds” Saturday Buffet Brunch.
The Newport Mansions Wine and Food Festival brings together wines from around the world presented by expert sommeliers, cuisine and small bites created by talented chefs, and tasting opportunities galore in a series of dinners, brunches and seminars. Guests are also invited to enjoy further samples from food and beverage vendors as well as local chefs in the Tasting Tent.
Proceeds from the festival benefit The Preservation Society of Newport County, a nonprofit organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and dedicated to preserving and interpreting the area’s historic architecture, landscapes and decorative arts.
Visit newportmansions.org/wineandfood for more information and tickets.
