Sarasota Opera Food and Wine Festival: Wine and Culinary for a Cause

SARASOTA — On Saturday, the Sarasota Opera hosted its annual Food and Wine Festival to benefit youth opera and education programs. Featuring food and wine samples from beloved Sarasota/Manatee establishments, live performances by the Sarasota Youth Opera chorus, and raffle prizes, this year's event was another delicious collision of musical and culinary art.

For 40 years, the Sarasota Youth Opera has enabled thousands of students to experience opera through participation in chorus, mainstage productions, summer workshops, and fully staged youth opera productions featuring professional orchestras, sets, and costumes. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the event benefited the Sarasota Youth Opera and its programming.

The French wine menu, provided by 99 Bottles, featured a number of standout selections. Domaine Vincent Careme Vouvray Spring, a wonderfully dry Chenin Blanc from the Loire, was an instant favorite. Henri Champliau's Cremant de Bourgogne was a stellar sparkling offering. However, the hands-down crowd favorite was definitely Francois Montand's Brute Rosé, a Méthode Traditionnelle, which means the wine goes through its second fermentation in the bottle, adding richness and complexity.

The reds were led by Château Haut-Blanville's Pays d'Oc Pinot Noir, produced from vineyards with limestone and basalt soils in Pézenas. With a lush fruit profile and notes of ripe plum, it is noteworthy for its velvety soft finish. Saint Cosme's 2023 Côte du Rhône, produced from 100% Syrah grapes grown in the stony Villafranchian terraces of the Gard in the southern Rhône region of France, was a very close second.

Culinary honors go to Marcel DW, where Chef Jeremy Duclut continues to wow gourmands with artfully inventive dishes (full review of Marcel). For the event, Duclut served what was easily the very best of three ceviches on the menu, a lightly citrus offering with plantain chips and micro cilantro that danced on the taste buds. Michael's on East brought a perfectly tender flank steak that was as exquisite as one would expect from the area's most consistent purveyor of fine dining experiences.

Irish food doesn't exactly come to mind for a wine event, but Molly's Restaurant & Pub's traditional shepherd's pie and corned beef and cabbage were too good to pass up. Thankfully, Gold Coast Eagle Distributing was on hand to offer a barley-hopped rinse of the pallet afterward.

Another pleasant surprise came via delectable red beet falafel from Jo's to Go's, along with a second solid falafel offering from Art Ovation. The golden beet salad from the all-new Cafe on St. Armands was also a stand out. For those with a sweet tooth, the Five-O Dounut Co. and Sprinkles Cupcakes were on hand with beautifully presented sugar fixes.