The Fifth annual Sun Wine Fest, Connecticut’s largest Food and Wine extravaganza will be held at the Mohegan Sun Hotel and Casino in Uncasville Connecticut on the weekend of the 19th and 20th of January 2008. The Mohegan Sun which is owned by Mohegan Tribe is a multi functional recreational hotel complex which has several entertainment options which include many restaurants and casinos. The Hotel complex is currently undergoing an expansion which will add to its current capacity of 1200 luxury suites and guests rooms. The Hotel is ideally located in the heart of picturesque New England and is easily accessible from New York, Hartford, Boston and Providence. On Friday the 18th the Mohegan Sun will invite its VIP casino guests to a private Sun Wine Fest experience.
The Sun Wine Fest has been a grand success over the years, with the fest last year attracting over 12000 people of which around two thousand people belonged to the Trade and this resulted in tremendous feedback for the event.
This year’s event too promises to be culinary enthusiast’s delight as it feature’s celebrity chefs such as Todd English , Jasper White, Robert Irvine, Mary Ann Esposito, Govind Armstrong, Roberto Donna, Susur Lee, Johnny Vinczencz, Walter Potenza, Jimmy Burke, Michael Ginor, Chris Schlesinger, Kim Canteenwalla and Ihsan Gurdal. These chefs will be joined by the Mohegan Sun’s own Executive Chef Michael Luboff, Assistant Executive chef Richard Doucette, Executive Pastry Chef Lynn Mansel and Executive Sous Chef Donald Miller as well as chefs from the over twenty five participating restaurants such as Solo Toro Tequila Grill, Grants Restaurant and Michael Jordon’s Steak House.
Apart from the chefs the event will also feature wine ,spirit and ale experts such as Fred Dame, Master Sommelier at Beam Wine Estates; Steve Reeder, Winemaker of Simi Winery; Stefano Girelli, Managing Director of Casa Girelli; Malcolm Gosling of Gosling's Rum; David Mirassou, Winemaker and owner Mirassou Winery; Kathy Benzinger of the renowned Benzinger Family Winery; Sofia Partida of Partida Tequila; Anthony Giglio, the Sommelier, Journalist & Author; Carol Stoudt, Brewmaster at Stoudt's Brewery and Harry Hansen, Winemaker of Edna Valley Vineyards. These experts will be involved in a series of informative seminars which will be held through out the weekend.
The main attraction of the Sun Winefest 2008 however will be the Grand Tasting Event which is to be held at the stunning location of the Mohegan Sun’s Uncas Ballroom. It has the capacity to house 200 booths which will provide a platform for wine, spirits, wine accessories and other related products. Over 1000 varieties of fine wine and specialty spirits and ales are available for tasting at the Grand Tasting Event. The producers of these fine beverages will be on hand to answer queries relating to their products, pricing and vineyard tours Along with the wine tasting more than twenty five regional restaurateurs will be promoting their establishments by providing sampling menus of their fare. The event will also feature exhibitors of allied activities such as wine storage, culinary accessories featuring high-end home appliances, cooking and serving equipment, crystal glassware and decanters, specialty foods and cigars, culinary education and travel services
Tickets for the Grand Tasting cost $65 for a day if bought in advance otherwise they cost $70 at the door. A two day ticket for the Grand Tasting costs $95.Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or over the phone at 860.886.0070 or even in person at the Mohegan Sun’s Box Office. The event is open only to people aged 21 and above. The proceeds from the Grand Tasting Event will go to support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
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The Gala Event of the Sun WineFest will take place at 7.30 on the evening of Saturday the 19th. This event which is called the "Celebrity Chef Dine Around" promises to be a unique gastronomical experience which will feature each of the world famous chefs preparing their signature dishes at live cooking stations. Each of these plates will be paired with an appropriate premium wine to enhance the experience further. The event will be rounded off with an array of mouth watering deserts which are to be prepared by the Mohegan Sun’s very own culinary team. The Tickets for the “Celebrity Chef Dine Around" cost $175 per head with a share of the proceeds going to support “Share Our Strength which is a Non Profit organization actively working towards the goal of ending childhood hunger.
The evening of the 20th will feature yet another exciting event which will be “The Fifth Annual Mohegan Sun Oyster Open”. The very best shuckers from every restaurant, raw bar, shellfish, and Seafood Company on the East Coast will compete for the $5000 purse and the title of the best Shucker in New England. To qualify as a participant for the “Mohegan Sun Oyster Open”, a shucker must be able to open 15 oysters in less than 3 minutes. The event is limited to 16 competitors and 2-3 alternates, however the winners of major shucking competitions such as Newport, St. Mary’s, PEI, or Wellfleet who happen reside in New England automatically qualify for the Sun WineFest Oyster Open competition but they have to fill in an application in order to compete.
