Bacchus on the Beach toasts food, wine

On Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, the Resort at Longboat Key Club will hold its fourth annual Bacchus on the Beach event, which brings winemakers from around the world for a celebration of food and wine.

The event kicks off Oct. 31, with the Bacchanalian Beach Ball. The festival’s main focus is stone crab, and it will also have selections from wineries, winemakers and producers from around the world. Guests are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes. The event will feature dancing and live music.

Four events are scheduled for Nov. 1: The first is “Napa-Sonoma Wine Blending Camp,” a class taught by renowned winemaker Michael DeLoach. Part of a family of winemakers, DeLoach began his career in the wine industry at age 11. He is currently president of Hook and Ladder Winery, in Santa Rosa, Calif.
DeLoach will teach participants how to blend wines, and attendees will be able to blend their very own bottle of wine to take home.

“People want to learn to do what we do,” DeLoach said. “This teaches them a little bit about it.”

Michael Helmer will teach the “Taste Like a Master” class. Helmer, a Sarasota resident, is a wine consultant at Vinecraft, a company that finds and distributes rare wines.

“I will walk everybody through the steps of how to identify wines and what to look for,” Helmer said. “It will be blind taste through several different wines. It will be interactive and there will be question and answer.”
Attendees have a choice of attending one of two dinners.

The first, “Pigs & Pinot,” will feature pinot noirs, rosés and white wines along with a whole pig barbecue and other pork creations.

The other dinner, “Across All Vines,” will begin with a champagne and sparkling wine reception, followed by a meal and wine pairing with wines from around the world.

Proceeds from the Bacchus on the Beach event will go to the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee’s College of Hospitality and Technology Leadership scholarship fund.

“I look very much forward to it out of all the events I do throughout the year,” Helmer said. “It’s a beautiful venue, and it’s very well organized. It’s a pleasure to be a part of it.”

If you go
When: Oct. 31 and Nov. 1

Where: Various locations at the Resort at Longboat Key Club

Cost: Ticket prices range from $35 to $200, depending on event.

Visit bacchusonthebeach.com for a full schedule of events.