Women Gone Wine

Wine Fest Week is Perfect for Ladies

Women Gone Wine

Anyone who’s been in the Lowcountry for a while knows there’s more to Hilton Head than great beaches and bars. Hang onto your sun hats, ladies! I’m taking you on a tour that delights the senses and satisfies that craving for some well-earned girl time.

Each March Hilton Head’s wine and food enthusiasts greet the island’s popular spring season with a six-day celebration to embrace the fruits of global wine partnerships, signature Lowcountry cuisine, grassroots cultural happenings and the authentic fabric of a unique artists’ community. What unfolds is an inspiring series of events, alluring guests from all corners of the country to participate annually—and fervently.

Celebrating its 32nd anniversary this year, the Hilton Head Island Wine & Food Festival (HHIWFF) launched three decades ago as part of an island wide promotion to bring visitors and stimulate the island’s tourism industry in the early spring shoulder season. A group of devoted wine enthusiasts along with some great island culinary talents started the tradition of the annual Wine & Food Festival serving as the herald of spring. It was a coming out party of sorts, for residents and visitors alike who wanted to shake off winter. And with the help of many hands, the festival grew. From its origin as a one-day three-hour tasting (in a parking lot), the festival has now blossomed into a full week of events surrounding the iconic Harbour Town Yacht Basin at The Sea Pines Resort. On this year’s festival itinerary, you’ll find exceptional wine dinners, educational seminars, a movie screening, the Sip and Stroll, a one-of-a-kind tasting from Banfi, plus the traditional Grand Tasting and well-loved public tasting. Our signature event, the original public tasting, is one of the largest outdoor tented public wine tastings on the East Coast!

Join in to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of this annual Hilton Head rite of passage at our new location in The Sea Pines Resort. Experience for yourselves this year’s new schedule of events including spectacular celebrity chef showcases, intriguing wine education sessions, live entertainment and of course the famed Grand and public tastings.

Thursday, March 9
The Hilton Head Island Wine & Food Festival (HHIWFF) will be in full swing, so bring the gals on down to the Harbour Town Yacht Basin from 1-4 PM for Sip and Stroll! Fill up your glass and sashay along the harbor, browse the shops, and take photos of the lighthouse.
From 5:30-7:30 PM, join local certified Sommeliers Camille Copeland and Stephanie Stawski at the Plantation Golf Club for HHIWFF’s Best of the Best knowledge session. They’ll walk you through six flights of wine, each of which will contain one iconic wine, alongside two of Camille and Stephanie’s favorites. Through pictures and travel stories, you will be led to decide whether you have a new favorite wine.

Friday, March 10
From 1-2:15 PM, raise a glass (or several) to Madame Clicquot! Return to the Plantation Golf Club for the HHIWFF Veuve Clicquot knowledge session, and discover the history behind Veuve Clicquot Maison. Learn more about the complexities of champagne and the art and science of winemaking.
Then take a jaunt to the Harbour Town Clubhouse from 5:30-7:30 for the HHIWFF Grand Tasting. Taste your way through an array of award-winning wines and light hors d’oeuvres. Following the tasting, why not stay for dinner at the club?

Saturday, March 11
It’s time to head back to Harbour Town for the Hilton Head Island Wine & Food Festival public tasting event, one of the Island’s most popular and anticipated annual events, known to locals since the ‘80s simply as Wine Fest. Pre-purchased tickets allow you to participate in the wine tasting and enjoy competitions, live entertainment, and a silent auction benefiting local scholars. The tasting begins at noon, with the other festivities continuing throughout the afternoon.

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