Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival
Last week my husband and I headed to Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival to check out some wine and have some fun. We attend almost every year, and enjoy strolling from “country” to “country” sampling food, wine and beer from the represented locations. 
Some of our favorite stops include “Canada” for the Cheddar Cheese Soup, “Japan” for Sushi and Saki, and “Italy” for Brunello di Montalcino! We seem to spend most of our time in “France” where I devour glasses of Champagne while practicing my French, and my husband eats crepes and drinks a nice Chateauneuf du Pape!
A highlight of the festival is attending the beverage seminars, which are a presentation and tasting lead by someone from the represented winery or brewery. The seminar we chose to attend was Heitz Wine Cellars. Daniel Vu, their National Sales Manager, conducted the presentation and led us through four Heitz wines. 
2011 Heitz Sauvignon Blanc – This wine has some lemon and honeydew, along with nice rounded acidity. It is aged in an oak tank and sees no barrel time.
2010 Heitz Chardonnay – This Chardonnay is done in an Old World style, with good acidity and lots of the fruit coming through. Apple, pear and some gentle baking spices come through on the palate. This nicely balanced wine sees 6 – 7 months in French Oak Barrels, 70% of which are used and 30% new. They then use the barrels for aging their Zinfandel in upcoming vintages.
2007 Heitz Napa Cabernet Sauvignon – Dark cherry, plum and cola burst in this wine. The finish explodes with dark fruit and smooth vanilla. This wine is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon blended of grapes from the Rutherford Vineyard and the Howell Mountain Vineyard. It sees a year in tank, 2 years in new French Oak and another year in the bottle before it is released.
2006 Heitz Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon – I was very excited to see that Daniel was pouring their “Martha’s Vineyard” for our tasting, and I wasn’t disappointed. There is cherry, some spice and this vineyard’s signature mint on the nose. The palate is chocolate covered cherry all the way, with some baking spices, the mint and a little earthiness. This is going to be a gem of a wine in 10 years!
Daniel did a wonderful job guiding us through the wines, sharing some history of the winery, and explaining some of the many facets of their winemaking process. Heitz is still a family owned and run business and all of their wines are 100% varietal with the exception of their Port. This was a lovely tasting and a great way to start the day.
Epcot’s International Food & Wine festival occurs every year from late September through early November. Don’t hesitate to check it out and join in on the fun!