by TM Petaccia

Charlotte Wine + Food Week runs April 16-21. Photo: Josh Bannen

Charlotte Wine + Food will begin its 36th year at Counter- on April 16 and end at Restaurant Constance on April 21 — with 15 public events in between. To date, the nonprofit organization has raised over $7million for area children’s charities while raising the profile of fine wine in the Queen City, raising nearly $600,000 during last year’s week of events.

Lauren Deese, executive director of Charlotte Wine + Food. Photo courtesy

“What I’m trying to do is keep the donation levels similar to where we were last year or higher and really ramp up the fundraising,” says Lauren Deese, Executive Director of Charlotte Wine + Food.

The mission of Charlotte Wine + Food is to assure that local children receive a full and proper education regardless of economic situation. This year’s charity beneficiaries are A Child’s Place, Augustine Literacy Project – Charlotte, GenOne, and The Learning Collaborative.

CW+F Week brings in some of the world’s top vintners and sommeliers, pairing them with local chefs for a series of public events and private dinners. In addition to the 15 individual restaurant dinners, the annual Collector’s Gala & Auction will take place on Friday, April 19, with CW+F’s Grand Tasting on Saturday, April 20.

The Collector’s Gala and Auction, Charlotte Wine + Food’s signature event, moves to The Union at Station West this year and will feature high-end wines from Ackerman Family Vineyards, Banfi, Benevolent Neglect, Bodega Lanzaga, Broadbent Selections, Chateau Musar, Compris Vineyard, Donelan, Justin Vineyards & Winery, Law Estate Wines, Massican, Rewa Vineyards, Sciandri Family Vineyards, Sphaerics, Skipstone, and Vice Versa paired with a variety of dishes from L’Ostrica, Omakase by Tony Huynh, Indaco, La-Tea-Da’s Catering, and Cookies on the Side. More vintners and restaurant/caterers are expected to be added. Tickets are $500 per person (plus tax).

“We created the collector’s event last year so we could scale our live auction to be larger and also bring in more wineries,” Deese says. “That helped us immensely, and it was very well received. So that event is back.”

The annual Grand Tasting will also be held at The Union at Station West is more of a “street fair for fine wine,” according to Deese, featuring more than 100 curated wines from around the world with a number of food participants, including Angeline’s, Better Call Salsa, Sea Level, Seasoned Provisions, Sixty Vines, Superica, SWIRL, and Table & Twine. The event will also feature local breweries, live jazz, and a mobile auction emceed by WBTV personalities Nia Harden and Alex Giles. Tickets are $150 ($175 for early entry).

“Like the Gala, the Grand Tasting is also a great place for connoisseurs, but at a much more affordable price point and a much more casual event,” Deese says.

Restaurant Events

Fifteen restaurants and wine shops will host events during CW+F 2024. Photo: Josh Bannen

Charlotte Wine + Food Week kicks off with a premium eight-course tasting dinner at Counter-, hosted by James Beard Finalist Sam Hart and paired with wines from Willamette Valley’s Antica Terra. “Counter- is not a new partner for us, but Antica Terra is,” Deese says. Winemaker Maggie Harrison is coming in for the event. “She is without a doubt one of the top winemakers, domestically, if not in the world.”

Three new restaurants are joining the CW+F Week lineup this year. L’Ostrica will offer a ten-course tasting menu paired with wines from Eric Solomon Selections. As a pop-up/caterer L’Ostrica has participated in past years (co-owner Cat Carter sits on the CW+F Board), but this will be the first time hosting in its new restaurant.

Keeping with its Mediterranean theme, Chapter 6 will host a dinner paired with wines from Lebanon’s Chateau Musar. “Chateau Musar has a really cult following,” Deese says. “Their wines are not expensive, but they just outpunch their weight class, and their story is really fascinating.”

Also new to Charlotte Wine + Food, SouthPark’s Mizu will host the annual sake dinner featuring ultra-premium sake from Tatenokawa. “This is some of the highest quality sake you can find,” Deese says. “Very, very rare. Only 20 seats are available for this one.”

Also new, wine shop Petit Philippe will host a Sonoma and Napa Valley wine tasting at its new flagship store in Myers Park and The Wine Vault’s new Elizabeth location will host the annual rosé brunch.

Returning to the CW+F Week lineup will be dinners at Angeline’s, Aria, Customshop, The Fig Tree, Fin & Fino, Napa on Providence, and Porcupine Provisions (two events, April 17 and April 18).

The week ends with a closing dinner at Restaurant Constance with wines from Italy’s Banfi Vintners. “We’re excited chef Sam Diminich is partnering for our closing night,” Deese says. “He’ll be doing some of his favorites from growing up in an Italian-American household.”

Ticket costs for most of the dinners are either $195 or $250, depending on the venue, except for the kickoff dinner at Counter- ($750), the full-tasting dinner at L’Ostrica ($500), and the Petit Philippe tasting ($75). Tickets will go on sale at noon on Wednesday, March 6.

There are also a number of private, invitation-only events hosted by CW+F board members or sponsors to supplement the public fundraising, as well as two raffles and an online auction, which will span the entirety of the six-day fundraiser.

The event has been named one of the top five wine events in the United States by Forbes Travel Guide (2014) and was recently named a “must-attend wine event” by the Sommeliers Choice Awards.

Full details can be found at the Charlotte Wine + Food website.