USA: San Antonio Debuts New World Wine and Food Festival

There is no better city than San Antonio to host the New World Wine and Food Festival, October 26-29. Noted wine authorities and celebrity chefs will descend on the Alamo City for a three-day festival that includes such activities as a Meet-the-Winemaker reception, lunch at area wineries, wine seminars, cooking classes, a special themed brunch and a black-tie gala.Mark Miller (Coyote Cafe in Santa Fe, N.M., and Red Sage in Washington D.C.), Stephan Pyles (Star Canyon in Dallas) and Grady Spears (Reata Restaurant in Alpine and Fort Worth, Texas and Hollywood, Calif.) are just a few of the celebrity chefs who will participate in the festival.Chefs will prepare tantalizing tapas, elegant entrees and divine desserts. Some will seduce tasters with dynamic recipes from Central and South America and Mexico, skillfully weaving a tapestry of Latin America flavors.In addition, major wine authority, Augustin Huneeus, will talk on the finer points of international wines, including Chilean and Argentinean wines that redefined themselves through American and French influences. Other featured wines will include Texas, Italian, Spanish, and American regional wines such as Mexican wines from Baja, Calif."Because of our city's own reputation of its sophisticated restaurants, wine aficionados, and up-and-coming chefs, it makes sense that this festival takes place in San Antonio," says Sarita Hall, director of visitor marketing for the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau. "San Antonio's Spanish colonial architecture and Latino culture also makes the city the perfect setting for the event."The San Antonio New World Wine and Food Festival office can be reached at (210) 518-1155. For a free San Antonio visitor information packet, call the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau (SACVB) toll-free at 1-800-447-3372 in the U.S. and Canada (001-800-447-3372) in Mexico or (210) 207-6700. Or visit the SACVB's home page at