Celebrating 30+ years, the Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta is an annual collection of events, at various venues throughout the city, highlighting the culinary artistry of the City Different. This epicurean extravaganza brings 90 wineries to Santa Fe to partner with 75 of the city’s best restaurants in a week-long celebration of food and wine events, featuring cooking demos, seminars, winery luncheons, and dinners. Eat, drink and be merry, at the 32nd Annual Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta, spreading joy and satiating palates September 27 – October 1, 2023.
What You Can Expect
The Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta isn’t your average wine festival. What it offers is a great way to develop or refine your palate. Many of the events held throughout the week vary from large scale to small and intimate. If you’re interested in learning more about local wines, wine seminars are the way to go. You’ll learn how to identify different varietals and vintages, as well as exploring wine and cheese pairings. There are dozens of seminars and demos to choose from. For a full schedule of events, visit the Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta website.
Dinners are another popular offering of the Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta. Most dinners are in a presentation format, in which the sommelier or a representative from the guest winery introduces each wine between courses. Needless to say, the chefs at these great restaurants bring all their skills to bear in creating a meal worthy of the wines with which they are paired. Interested parties can choose from any of the events listed below, by visiting the webpage. You’ll need to call the restaurant for times, prices, and reservations.
Restaurant Winery Dinners
Tuesday, September 26, 2023
- Terra @ Four Seasons Resort
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
- Alkeme
- The Bourbon Grill
- Coyote Café
- El Nido
- Izanami
- Joseph’s Culinary Pub
- Terra @ Four Seasons Resort
- Terracotta Wine Bistro
- The Kitchen Table Santa Fe
- The Pink Adobe
Thursday, September 28, 2023
- Agave @ The Eldorado Hotel & Spa
- Anasazi Restaurant Bar &* Lounge
- The Bourbon Grill
- Luminaria Restaurant
- Market Steer Steakhouse
- Restaurant Martín
- SantaCafé
- Sassella
- SuSushi @ El Nido
- The Bull Ring
- The Pink Adobe
Friday, September 29, 2023
- Anasazi Restaurant Bar & Lounge
- La Casa Sena
- Osteria D’Assisi
- Pig + Fig Café
- SkyFire @ Bishop’s Lodge
The Chile Connection
Guest chef demos also take place throughout the city during the Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta, with topics ranging from modernist cooking techniques to traditional dishes based on art and culture. The one thing, beside wine, tying it all together is our fabulous New Mexico chile, which is used in a variety of cuisines, from familiar local fare to spicy Asian fusion. Just when you think you know everything there is to know about cooking with chiles, something new presents itself, proving once again the versatility of our state crop.
In keeping with tradition, Chile Friday returns to the Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta, and this year it’s bigger and better than ever. Additional margarita tents and tequila partners have been added, including Patrón, Herradura, El Tesoro, and Maestro Dobel. You’ll still smell all that wonderful chile roasting, and your tastebuds will be screaming hot, hot, hot! Nothing a nice cold drink can’t fix.
New This Year
Special programming enhancements that are new to the Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta for 2023 include a new luncheon on Wednesday, September 27, called Phenomenal Femmes. Celebrating the women who power the hospitality industry, including chefs, restaurateurs, sommeliers and wine educators, the event takes place at The Sunset Terrace. Also on Wednesday, for the first time ever, the Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta will offer an early afternoon train adventure in partnership with Sky Railway, and featuring wine, snacks and, of course, our enchanting scenic views.
The Big Event
The weekend culminates with the Grand Tasting at Fort Marcy Park, where all participating Santa Fe restaurants and wineries serve samples of their best food and wine. This is probably the best way to experience all that is available at the Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta, whether it be world-class wine or delectable culinary delights. Enhancing the experience even more will be Latin musical artist David Manzanaras, who will make sure you feel the heat while on your culinary adventure.
And all that is just for starters! Whether you are a wine and dine snob or are just looking for new ways to look at both, The Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta is an experience unto itself. Just make sure to reserve your spot early, because this event tends to sell out.
For more information, visit the website or call 505-438-8060.
This article was posted by David Salcido
