Hawai‘i Food & Wine Fest offers rare opportunities for wine lovers

The Hawai‘i Food & Wine Festival provides a golden opportunity for foodies and everyone else to take an amazing food vacation without leaving home.

Events span mid-October on Maui to early November on Oahu. The list of star chefs is staggering, but the festival also brings a star-studded list of winemakers. They will be pouring wine at various events: Imagine talking (and tasting) wine with icons such as Angeline Lassalle (Champagne J. Lassalle) and Louis Michel Liger-Belair (Domaine du Comte) from France; Cristian Valbruzzoli (Braida Winery) from Italy; Matt Reynvaan (Reynvaan Family Vineyards) and Todd Alexander (Force Majeure) from Washington state; Mark Tarlov (Chapter 24) from Oregon; Thomas Brown (Rivers-Marie), Dick Grace (Grace Family) and Annie Favia (Favia Wines) from Napa Valley; and Jim Clendenen (Au Bon Climat) and Paul Lato (Paul Lato Wines ) from Santa Barbara. And that’s just a partial list.

There will also be three dedicated tastings on Nov. 4 at the Halekulani, each featuring three master sommeliers — Richard Betts, Joseph Spellman and host Roberto Viernes. Seating for each is limited.

Reserve a spot at hawaiifoodandwinefestival.com. Here’s a brief summary of the events:

>> A Study into the Terroirs of the Southern Rhone (9 to 10:15 a.m.): A tasting like this has been a long time coming. This niche of wines is hugely popular on the mainland and abroad, and still growing. This tasting should help nurture the popularity of these wines in the islands, too.

This will be a first opportunity for tasters to check out the unique complexities, warmth and savoriness of what some of the finest artisan, family-owned estates have to offer, each from various nooks and niches throughout the region.

>> Domaine Vieux Telegraphe Vertical Tasting (10:30 a.m. to noon): A once-in-a-lifetime vertical tasting of the extraordinary wines from the estates of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Tasters will experience what makes this vineyard special through the evolution of its wine through 10 vintages — 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 — served side by side.

A bonus: Leading this panel and tasting will be Daniel Brunier, proprietor of the world-class, legendary estate. (A tidbit to note: When the French government set up its appellation wine laws in 1936, the first appellation approved was not Bordeaux, Burgundy or Champagne. It was Chateauneuf-du-Pape in France’s Rhone Valley.)

>> Chateau Cos d’Estournel Tasting (12:30 to 2:00 p.m.): Chateau Cos d’Estournel is one of the greatest chateau estates in all of Bordeaux. The property, in the Saint-Estephe commune, is separated only by a small stream from the famed Chateau Lafite Rothschild. Its wines, crafted with centuries-old skills, are profoundly rich, masculine, concentrated and resoundingly structured. It is therefore one of longest lived and most collectible wines grown and produced in the Medoc region.

Yes, this is a consummate trophy wine in all its glory, and this event is the opportunity to sample eight vintages — 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014 — with color commentary by Betts, Spellman and Viernes. How often do these opportunities come around?

Chuck Furuya is a master sommelier and a partner in the DK Restaurants group. Follow his blog at chuckfuruya.com.