From May 14-18, oenophiles will flock to a precious island south of Cape Cod for the 18th Annual Nantucket Wine Festival, a growing gathering for the country’s leading chefs, winemakers, and industry experts. The bucolic setting of the quintessential New England summer resort provides the perfect backdrop for a series of high-end events, centered on the Harbor Gala and Grand Tastings hosted at Nantucket’s historic waterfront White Elephant Hotel. Another extremely popular pick is the Great Wines in Grand Houses dinners and tastings series, which provides entrées in some of Nantucket’s most admired mansions. Also on tap are food and wine seminars, and cooking demonstrations where one can learn to prepare perfectly paired meals. Luckily, Veuve Clicquot is one of the key sponsors. 

Festival attendees will enjoy some of the world’s finest wines alongside dishes from celebrated East Coast chefs — including Gabe Thompson of L’Artusi in New York City; Michelle Bernstein of Michy’s in Miami; Michael LaScola of American Seasons in Nantucket; Eric Warnstedt of Hen of the Wood in Waterbury, VT; and many more. The Festival’s honored Luminary of the Year is Paul Draper of Ridge Vineyards in Paso Robles, while top winemakers include Frédéric Panaïotis of France’s renowned Champagne Ruinart and sommeliers, like Dustin Wilson, M.S. of Eleven Madison Park in NYC who will host events and share his knowledge.