All Over Albany

Saratoga Wine & Food Festival 2014

The annual Saratoga Wine & Food Festival is coming up September 5-7 at SPAC. The headlining "personalities," and a new event, this year:

+ NYC chef/restauranteur Marc Murphy, who's also one of the judges on the popular Food Network show Chopped.

+ Wine expert/educator Kevin Zraly is returning.

+ New event: BBQ, Brews & Blues: "Hosted by Food Network 'Chopped' star Marc Murphy, this BBQ bash will serve as the kick-off event with six (6) of the Capital Region's finest restaurants competing against six (6) Manhattan Grill masters."

The list of events with blurbage is after the jump.

Tickets for the various events go on sale today (as of this morning it appears they haven't yet been made available through SPAC's online ticketing system).

Events, all blurbage via SPAC:

BBQ, BREWS & BLUES PRESENTED BY CERTIFIED ANGUS BEEF & STELLA ARTOIS | Friday, Sept 5 - Hosted by Food Network 'Chopped' star Marc Murphy, this BBQ bash will serve as the kick-off event with six (6) of the Capital Region's finest restaurants competing against six (6) Manhattan Grill masters.

ADIRONDACK ROAD TOUR & GOURMET LUNCHEON | Friday, Sept 5 - A spirited 1 ½ hour road rally for auto collectors winding through the beautiful Adirondack roads to finish at the historic Lake George Club. Gourmet lunch includes library-quality wines, imported fine foods and tours on wooden and Italian Comitti speed boats.

WINE AUCTION WALL | Saturday, Sept 6 - A new major feature of the Grand Tasting will be the wine auction wall featuring jeroboam bottles of the top vintages of the season. In lieu of a silent auction, the wine wall will feature rare, one of a kind wines available exclusively for the event.

THE CONNOISSEUR TENT - Master Wine Connoisseur Kevin Zraly hosts this one-of-a-kind culinary and wine adventure for aficionados at Saturday's Grand Tasting. This separate tasting experience will feature artisan food from Healthy Living Market & Café, wine and spirits including tastings of rare wines from Kevin Zraly's private wine cellar. This event will be offered in a luxurious, lounge-style space and feature music from a jazz trio.

GRAND TASTING & CONCOURS D'ELEGANCE | Saturday, Sept 6 - The centerpiece of the festival, the Grand Tasting takes place under large, elegant tents on SPAC's lawn, and features hundreds of fine international wines, delicacies prepared by the region's top chefs, wine seminars and live auction of luxuries featuring opportunities to bid on rare wines, couture fashion, exotic travel, original artwork and more. The festival partners again with The Saratoga Automobile Museum to present a show of luxury collector cars at Saturday's Grand Tasting including invited classes of Shelby Cobras, Alfa Romeo, Porsche, Lancia, Maserati, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Fiat-Abarth and more judged by Pebble Beach marquee auto specialists.

IN THE GROOVE JAZZ BRUNCH | Sunday, Sept 7 - This sumptuous Sunday Brunch will feature gourmet offerings from six (6) of Mazzone's finest restaurants in Saratoga National's idyllic setting. Live groovin' jazz music, culinary delights, delectable Mimosa's, Bloody Mary's, Old Fashioned's, and the Best in Show Auto Awards highlight the event.

photo: Cedric Angeles Photography / Marc Murphy FB