The world's greatest food festivals for autumn
It’s the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness – and more importantly, sensational food and wine. Here are the highlights from around the world.
Gorgeous Georges
You may have heard – the locals have mentioned it once or twice – that France knows a couple of things about wine. Particularly in autumn, when it starts releasing new bottles of delight. Nuits-Saint-Georges, a compelling example of the Burgundy region being very, very good at pinot noir, is a case in point. It will salute itself in a fortnight’s time via its yearly Fête du Vin Bourru, in the town of Nuits-Saint-Georges near Dijon (Oct 27-28; association-la-cabotte.com/vin-bourru). Tastings? Yes. Lots.
October feasts
It’s rare this page opens with a biblical quote. But St Paul was on to something in his letter to the Galatians about how “whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap”. OK, so it’s a warning not to do Bad Stuff (or face the consequences), not advice on good agricultural practice. And sadly, he doesn’t continue “for if man planteth his grapes on a south-west-facing slope, he will reapeth a cheeky little zinfandel”. But the point remains. It’s mid-October. Harvest season is over. It’s time to eat the fruits. Which is why this month is full of food and wine events. Like the Wells Food Festival, which will entertain said fine Somerset city tomorrow (wellsfoodfestival.co.uk). And there are more.
Truffle shuffle
Depending on your view, truffles are either strange and insanely expensive balls of fungus, or fabulous gourmet morsels. The Tuscan village of San Miniato thinks the latter. It has a yearly festival devoted to the white version (Nov 10-25; see sanminiatopromozione.it).
Jolais good show
Beaujolais nouveau is another feted French wine, and it is eulogised every November in the village of Beaujeu, near Lyon – at Les Sarmentelles (Nov 14-18; sarmentelles.com).
Champagne supernova
When is an autumn wine festival not an autumn wine festival? When it’s the Habits de Lumiere (habitsdelumiere.epernay.fr), and it’s held in the last month of the year (Dec 14-16). Which is winter. But then, this is a tribute to champagne, with gourmet evenings, fireworks and light shows, in the regional capital Epernay. And who is going to tell the Champagne region what to do? Exactement.
Next of pumpkin
Heading to the USA for Thanksgiving (Nov 22) as a British tourist is like sneaking back into a party 235 years after you’ve been chucked out for bad behaviour. Still, few autumn food-related celebrations have the pizzazz. A week at the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston (whose restaurant, oaklongbarkitchen.com, has a Thanksgiving menu; $65/￡49), leaving Heathrow on Nov 18, costs from ￡1,117pp (virginholidays.co.uk).
Soft Moselle
Germany doesn’t like wine. Only beer. Right? Nein. South-easterly Deutschland will also will be alive with viticultural hurrahs in the coming weeks. The pretty Rhineland town of Cochem, on the River Moselle, will keep its Federweissenfest of flowery whites and music bands going until Nov 11 (romantic-germany.info).
Dubrovnik of time
Dubrovnik is a gorgeous city. Busy though. Especially in high summer. But autumn? Less so. And if you go this month, you may be there for the Good Food Festival, which will take over Croatia’s most fabled place between Oct 15 and 21 (tzdubrovnik.hr). But that’s next week! Yes, indeed. Get thee to an airport. Quickly.
Pros & conwy
A few random facts about Conwy. It’s on the north coast of Wales. It has a magnificent castle, which Edward I constructed in a snarky bit of empire building between 1283 and 1289. It has an annual food-and-music bonanza, known as the Gwledd Conwy Feast (conwyfeast.co.uk), which is set for Oct 26-28. You should go.
’doc holiday
What if you don’t want just one type of gourmet treat, but lots of wine, olives, cheese, charcuterie and other items which make life worth living? Then you may want the four-night “Gastronomy in Languedoc” group tour slated for Oct 18-22 by frui.co.uk (from ￡1,699pp; flights to Toulouse extra). That’s next week! Yep – spaces left.