Navigating NOWFE: A Complete Guide on Enjoying Wine Tastings, Restaurant Parties, Bubbles, and Rosé

Champagne is often sampled during the New Orleans Food & Wine Experience, also known as NOWFE.

The various types of wine can not only be paired with different foods but also with distinctive moods. For instance, Champagne is commonly associated with celebratory occasions. As I have developed a deeper understanding and appreciation of wine through extensive and diverse experiences, I have observed how wines can be coupled with different seasons.

With the arrival of the humid summer season, the timing couldn’t be better for the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience.

The Grand Tasting is the most significant self-guided wine tasting event during the festival schedule of the New Orleans Food & Wine Experience (NOWFE).

The yearly wine celebration is scheduled for early June, this year happening from June 4th to 9th. This timing is meant to provide a boost for the many local restaurants and hospitality partners as they head into the quieter period.

Personally, I’ve also taken this as a wonderful opportunity to actively explore the wines that will accompany me through the summer.

The Orleans Food & Wine Experience (NOWFE) incorporates Vinola – a upscale wine tasting event, as a part of its festival’s activities.

NOWFE has various aspects, providing numerous approaches to engage with it. Among these are wine-themed dinners, workshops, and experiences. The festival’s lineup also includes brand new events, such as a Champagne kick-off bash and a Sunday Italian supper to conclude the festival week (further details follow).

Considerable aspects of the event include extensive, self-conducted wine tastings in three unique styles. The Grand Tasting is the most significant; Vinola is reserved for tasting luxury wines, and Tournament of Rosés, an event exclusively dedicating to rosé wine.

The Tournament of Rosés has become a primary event on Fridays at the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience.

In all these tastings, the quantity of wine exceeds the amount one individual can appreciate. A wise approach is necessary, and I recommend concentrating on a specific category or style of wine appropriate for the time of year. Consider exploring Italian white wines to discover the country’s myriad of varietals, or French reds that can be enjoyed chilled.

At the New Orleans Food & Wine Experience held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, winemakers and traders will present hundreds of bottles of wine. For more information, visit NOLA.com

But the wine tastings are only one path to take. Following are some other ways you can experience NOWFE. Remember, the event offers individual tickets as well as various packages. Visit nowfe.com for ticket details.

Brennan’s Restaurant at 417 Royal St has an inviting courtyard.

NOWFE Kick-Off Celebration at Brennan’s Restaurant, Tuesday, June 4, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

The courtyard and Rooster Bar at Brennan’s transform into a hub for Champagne enthusiasts to kick off the festival. This party will feature a Champagne tasting and a demonstration of sabrage – the technique of opening Champagne bottles with a saber. An oyster bar and kitchen-prepared hors d’oeuvres will be available along with an opportunity to learn sabrage yourself. Tickets are $119 with extra sabering lessons for an additional $150.

Vinola, Thursday, June 6, 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Orpheum Theater

The Orpheum Theater with its Beaux Arts grandeur once again hosts Vinola, and this year, its striking Double Dealer speakeasy-style basement bar serves as the VIP lounge.

Vinola is a premier wine tasting event that is part of the Orleans Food & Wine Experience (NOWFE) lineup of festival activities.

If you’re interested in tasting wine like an expert, Vinola is the perfect option. This premier tasting presents wines with higher retail prices, ones you’re much less likely to run into at consumer-focused tastings. Local eateries provide dishes amongst the wine tables.

Tickets are $215 for general admission; $280 VIP (early admission and special lounge access).

Tournament of Rosés, June 7, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Generations Hall

The Tournament of Rosés is an evening devoted to the delightful pink wine as a part of the Orleans Food & Wine Experience (NOWFE) schedule of festival events.

Rosé can come in countless styles from different grapes and regions. At NOWFE, you can taste through its varieties and versatility at this night dedicated to the pink wine.

The Tournament of Rosés is an event dedicated to the charming pink wine. It is part of the Orleans Food & Wine Experience (NOWFE) series of festival events.

Expect to find a bar catering exclusively to sparkling wines (rosé and others), a cocktail bar, food from local eateries, a VIP lounge, DJs, and as always, plenty of pink outfits, in true New Orleans festival style. Tickets prices are $129 and $195 for VIP entry which starts at 6:30 p.m.

Participants revel in the evening during the New Orleans Food & Wine Experience, which this year is bringing back its Grand Tasting to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

Grand Tasting, scheduled for Saturday, June 8, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., will take place at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

The biggest NOWFE gathering has been streamlined into a single-day event, taking place in the convention center’s Grand Hall. This arrangement unifies all participating eateries for a joint experience of food sampling and pairing.

The New Orleans Wine & Food Experience showcases a Tournament of Rosés, featuring an array of wines from across the globe. This segment now holds the position of a “main stage” Friday event. (Image credit to NOWFE)

Purchasing the all-inclusive pass allows you access to a wide array of wines, paired with appetizing mini-plates from various city restaurants. General admission tickets are available for $149, while the VIP pass, which includes 2:30 p.m. early entry, is priced at $215.

Various activities and experiences will take place on June 7-8 at different locations.

Events at the New Orleans Food & Wine Experience (NOWFE) offer wine enthusiasts the opportunity to engage directly with vintners and winery representatives while trying out their products.

At the NOWFE, labs serve as educational wine seminars, typically enjoyable (since they involve wine), while the “experiences” blend fun and learning (accompanied by more wine).

Dessert wines paired with sweet treats are featured in flights at these informative gatherings at the New Orleans Food & Wine Experience, or NOWFE.

Labs take place at the Marriott Warehouse Arts District Hotel where a variety of topics are discussed. These include wine blending, the impact of glassware selection on wine, and an insight into pétillant naturel wines—those pét-nats that seem to be everywhere in boutique wine stores.

There are a variety of experiences held at numerous restaurants and venues. For instance, this year Bacchanal is set to host an outdoor wine party featuring South American cuisine, prepared by renowned chefs such as Joaquin Rodas from Bacchanal, Alfredo Nogueira from Cane & Table and Wilfredo Avelar from Mawi NOLA.

Bacchanal, situated in New Orleans’ Bywater area, is a popular destination known for its selection of wines and food menu. Notably, Sophia Germer, a journalist for NOLA.com and The Times-Picayune, has captured people dining outdoors at the venue.

Moving further across town, the newly opened restaurant plates has also decided to host its own tapas and tempranillo event. Other highlights include Galatoire’s offering a tasting of its classic recipes alongside wine, conducting coffee brewing classes, and running a pastry pairing event at Current Crop Roasting Shop. In addition, attendees can take part in a pizza making workshop at Reginelli’s or join the masterclass in crafting old fashioned cocktails served with a communal fried chicken feast at Picnic Provisions & Whiskey. Note that event times and ticket costs vary.

The Restaurant Wine Dinners will take place on June 5 at various locations.

Local restaurants hosting wine dinners in conjunction with touring vineyards and wineries is a frequent occurrence at the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience.

The evening may be consistent, but the unfolding of the NOWFE’s wine dinners is as unique as the hosting restaurants themselves. As is the norm, each dinner is coupled with a touring winery to examine their specific label’s offerings closely.

The range covers Restaurant August, priced at $250, and the Grill Room, at $225 on the luxurious end, to neighborhood establishments altering their norm for this exceptional event, like Junior’s on Harrison priced at $125. For reservations, menus, details, and links visit nowfe.com.

Burlesque, Bubbly & Brunch will be occurring on June 9, at 11 a.m., at Omni Royal Orleans.

Burlesque, Bubbly and Brunch wraps up the New Orleans Food & Wine Experience annually as one of NOWFE’s main attractions.

After the Grand Tasting on Saturday, a vibrant Sunday brunch in true New Orleans style follows with unlimited sparkling wine, a glitter bar, and burlesque acts courtesy of Trixie Minx Productions. Tickets are priced at $95.

Gianna is a downtown New Orleans Italian eatery, a venture from the Link Restaurant Group led by Rebecca Wilcomb.

Sunday Supper, scheduled for June 9, at 5 p.m. at Gianna

New on the schedule this year, Donald Link’s Italian restaurant Gianna will serve a family-style, four course dinner with wine pairings, led by Gianna chef Jared Heider and Ann Kim, executive chef of the Garden & Gun Club in Atlanta. Tickets at $120.

Follow Where NOLA Eats on Instagram at @wherenolaeats, join the Where NOLA Eats Facebook group and subscribe to the free Where NOLA Eats biweekly newsletter here.

Email Ian McNulty at imcnulty@theadvocate.com.

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About the Author: Chris Lehoux

Meet Chris Lehoux, an experienced wine connoisseur and dedicated blogger with a deep passion for all things wine-related. With years of expertise in the industry, Chris shares insightful wine reviews, valuable wine tasting tips, expert pairing advice, and captivating tales of vineyard visits. Join Chris on a journey through the world of wine, where every sip is an adventure waiting to be savored!