There are Wine & Food festivals; then there is the Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival set amidst the stunning backdrop of Rosecliff on Bellevue Ave (Newport’s “Millionaire’s Row”). Considered one of the most beautiful houses in the world—and it’s certainly my favorite in Newport—Rosecliff has provided a formidable presence in the filming of the 1974 “The Great Gatsby,” “True Lies,” and “Antiques Roadshow.” You couldn’t have asked for a more elegant location to house the Wine & Food Festival, especially after its $7.4 million facelift that finished last year.
I popped in to a few of the seminars and the tasting tent, and found the mixture of multi-regional wines, educational events, specialty dinners and tastings to be invigorating. The Preservation Society of Newport County made the most of the space, with various events taking over the entirety of Rosecliff. Those included a fun tasting tent on the front lawn, wine pairings while staring at the Atlantic Ocean on the Terrace, the perfect combo of bubbles and caviar in the lofty Rosecliff Dining Room and a variety of specialty dinners throughout Newport, R.I.
Tasting tent
Prior to COVID, the Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival tent was much larger and more casual. Since 2020, it pivoted to a more intimate scale that provided a better, refined approach. There were wines, mocktails, food selections from fish to dessert, and port as well as spirits. Every table offered something intriguing, really. However, some tastings particularly stood out:
- The red wines—and Cava—from the Rioja region in Spain were heavenly. I particularly liked the Beronia 2019 and 2020 Crianza. They were amazing, with Rioja Region Expert, Ana Fabiano, on hand to explain the different selections. If you missed the festival, you can still get your hands on these wonderful wines: they’re available in a few local wine stores in Newport county, including Jamestown Wine & Spirits. I can’t recommend them enough!
- The apple fritters flew off the Benchmark Senior Living table. Everyone kept commenting on grabbing more or folks kept asking for them. As soon as a new tray of fritters came out, they were gone. I had several myself and they were amazing. Even better, the folks from Benchmark were ready with handy cards that featured the recipe so you could try your hand at these delicious morsels at home.
- Taylor Fladgate was one of the bigger names in the tent and they didn’t disappoint. At all. They offered a 2018 port and a 10-year one. Both were great, but the 10-year was sublime. I sampled brownies from another table and the Taylor Fladgate 10-year went heavenly with it. Even more intriguing was their tonic, which I didn’t have myself, but a friend of mine did and absolutely loved it.
- The tent offered a fun variety of spirits, including a terrific margarita at the Mount Gay table. However, the most marvelous discovery was Dillon’s cocktails. I had heard raves about them before and they really had the most beautiful display, with this toweringly exquisite floral presentation. The crisp, clean and subtle taste of their Tangerine and Lemon Gin cocktail was the perfect end-of-summer refresher. Their cocktail beverages are also available throughout Newport.
Panels galore!
The panels took place within the spacious, elegant rooms of Rosecliff and ran the gamut of wines: From Napa Valley Cabernets, to a Pinot Noir grand tour, to wines from Australia, Italy and of course my new personal favorite, the Rioja Alta wines from Spain. There were plenty of cocktail masterclasses that involved the Remy Cointreau brand, Taylor Fladgate port, Sake, whiskeys, beer and Mezcal.
But what had me intrigued was the seminar that paired different types of sparkling wines with varieties of Haute Caviar for the “Bubbles & Caviar” tasting. Perfectly situated in the Rosecliff Dining Room, three flavors of Mirabella Franciacorta sparkling wines were laid out on the tasting tables. Caviar samplings were paired with the Brut, Saten and Rose wines, with their beautiful pastel colors perfectly complementing the graceful room. A couple of friends of mine attended this seminar and gave it a rave.
Dinners to die for
As if all the tastings and seminars weren’t enough, there was also a way to take the Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival experience to the next level. Delightful locations provided scenic backdrops to some jaw-dropping cuisine. A “Gilded Age” themed dinner took place on opening night at The Elms, headlined by the festival’s Culinary Director, Chef Kev Des Chenes (“Kev D”) along with Wine Director Matthew MacCartney. Chef legend and TV personality Jacques Pepin was the guest of honor for the entire festival, and his daughter and son-in-law hosted a four-course dinner in the Rosecliff Ballroom on Friday. Santa Margherita wines provided the libation for the Sunday Jazz Brunch in the same locale.
There were private dinners throughout Newport and the one I attended was sponsored by the Rioja region wines, a “Spanish Wine Dinner” at the elegant Gardiner House Hotel on the water. Rioja Region Expert Ana Fabiano provided detailed background on each of the four courses and the paired wines. I’m not much of a drinker and with five wines, I could only sip them! But the red that complimented the Beef Tournedos, I finished in its entirety. For this main course I enjoyed the Marques de Caceres Reserva 2018 and it was yummy. The Reserva 2018 will be available in local wine stores, which is pretty exciting. I’m so grateful to Newport Mansions for inviting me and getting to know these Spanish wines, which are a new favorite of mine. Priced around $20, they are also extremely reasonable.
The best was reserved for last, with a conversation event with culinary icon Jacques Pepin, who will be celebrating his 90th birthday next year. He has launched a “90 for 90” campaign with his Jacques Pepin Foundation, where he’s hosting dinners all over the nation to raise funds for food education and outreach. The sit down with Pepin concluded the festival and it was an absolute delight. Each table was provided with a sampling of French bites that included Alexian duck liver and pork mouse with Cognac, pheasant and rosemary pate and olive oil and sea salt crackers. Guests had the opportunity to pose questions to Pepin and his daughter, Claudine Pepin while enjoying a delicate selection of wines, including a sublime Taittinger Rose champagne. There wasn’t a single person in the grand ballroom of Rosecliff who wasn’t charmed by the Pepins’ stories. It perfectly capped off the festival.
Jacques Pepin will also be back in the New England area next year, where he is hosting two dinners for his “90 for 90” campaign. One of those includes Newport’s Giusto in May 2025. You can find more information on his foundation website.
At the Wine & Food Fest, I walked away impressed by so much culinary talent that descended upon this picturesque location. I can’t think of a single way that Newport Mansions can improve upon the festival next year. Except for maybe the weather—the first two days were soaked by rain—but no one’s figured how to control the weather just yet.
