This year, from 14 September through 14 November, the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival 2016 takes place at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. You can get all the festival info on the WDW site here.
After attending the Garden Festival in March this year, I was curious to see how this event differed. As in march, there were copious gluten-free offerings, so if you are considering attending but are concerned there won’t be enough options for you, think again! And pack a bag because the festival ends soon!
Below, find tips for what to take along to make your visit an enjoyable one, where to go first when you arrive at Epcot, restrooms info and of course, what we ate and drank. I hope you find this useful as your guide for upcoming visits to Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival.
If you are packing a bag, here are some tips for essentials to take along to make your visit an enjoyable one.
What to Take Along:
Sunscreen – it’s still like summertime in Orlando and the sun’s rays are out in full force! This is an excellent choice for your face.
Comfy walking shoes – we walked 40 miles in our 4 days at the festival and a shoe like this is perfect to keep your feet feeling amazing the entire time!
Cardigan/hoodie – after the sun goes down, the temp drops and it gets chilly on the water
Sunglasses – essential with bright sunshine reflecting off the water surrounding Epcot. I cannot leave my house without these.
Water – stay hydrated! You can purchase water on site – Dasani is $3 per bottle. We did purchase some water, but we took a bottle in with us to start the day, which helped remind us to drink more than just the wine. These are super refillable bottles that are also BPA-free plus have a click top, which I prefer.
Where to Go First:
Festival Center – Enter the park and make your way to Future World. There you will find Festival information, book signings, meet and greets, wine bottle signings and more.
Festival Merchandise Shop – located all over the park, this is where gift cards are available. Pick up a mini gift card and load it with (a substantial amount of) money, then you can wear it on your wrist. It saves the hassle of getting out cash/cards when making purchases at kiosks.
Cocktails – Alcoholic or non, it’s nice to start your walk around the park with drink in hand. One of the first stops around the World Showcase (to the right) is the Islands of the Caribbean booth where you can pick up a frozen Mojito. Not too sweet, a hint of mint – it’s a grown up slushie.
Restrooms
While they are located throughout the park and can be located on this WDW map, your best bets for cleanliness (in our opinion based on repeated visits) are:
Upon entry to your right
The American Adventure
In the United Kingdom area
There are no longer any restrooms in the Japan pavilion area (there were in March and they were not there this visit).
Gluten- Free at Epcot International Food & Wine Festival 2016
What We Ate and Drank:
We tried every food that was gluten-free at least once. Some, we tried two or three times because they were that good! As for drinks, we did our very best to sample as many of those, too. I’m organizing this section according to the Festival Passport, a small booklet you can pick up (free) on your way in or just about anywhere throughout the Festival. It helps keep organized with what you will find in each location. I used mine daily!
This is an example of what the menu boards for each kiosk look like. The vegan options are marked “V”, gluten-free options are marked “GF” and the other marking you see is for Kid Friendly options. Recommended beverage pairings are listed on each menu board and prices are clearly marked. Overall, we feel the Festival offerings are a good value for the pricing.
Countries/Kiosks that do not offer any GF options outside of drinks:
Wine & Dine Studio (they do have several wines from which to choose)
Refreshment Port Showcase Plaza (they do offer Dole® Whip with and without rum and Dragon Berry Refresher (alcoholic)
Greece
Hawai’i
New Zealand
Mexico
China
South Korea
Refreshment Cool Post (Outpost area)
Germany
Poland
Italy
Hops & Barley
Block & Hans
Japan
Morocco
Belgium
France (made up for it in cocktail offerings)
Scotland
Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company
There are several locations throughout Epcot and each one offers a different specialty cocktail.
Both pictured above.
Frozen Strawberry-Lemon Sunset (Future World East, near Festival Center) – This is supposed to be a layered frozen strawberry and lemonade drink with Grey Goose Vodka. It wasn’t layered like the picture at all but was quite tasty.
Spiked Chai Latte with Bailey’s Irish Cream (The American Adventure) – I didn’t have this one because of the Bailey’s but Dreamy had 1 iced and one frozen.
The Chew Collective (Future World West)
Yes, it is inspired by the ABC show “The Chew”.
Peanut Butter and White Chocolate Mousse with Caramel Drizzle, pictured above – I’m nut and dairy-free, so skipped this one, but Dreamy and Ma Petite tried it. Both said it was very sweet but there was no real flavor that stood out. “Not peanut buttery enough” was how they put it.
Greenhouse Guru
This booth is hosted by Village Farms® and is located in Future World West, and had some of our favorites.
Heirloom Tomato Salad with Goat Cheese, Aged Balsamic and Micro Basil, above top center – fresh, light, exceptional on a warm afternoon at Epcot. The tomatoes were perfect every time we had this (about 6 between the 3 of us).
Duck Confit with Creamy Polenta and Fire-roasted Salsa, above left and right – Perfectly cooked duck, atop velvety polenta was exceptional. The fire-roasted salsa was OK, but did not add much to the flavor of the dish. We ordered this several times.
Chilled Tomato Gazpacho with Lump Crab Meat, above center – another favorite. I had 3 of these during the visit. The first time there was not very much crab meat, but the gazpacho was so tasty no one minded. The third one we tried (different days) boasted just a hint of spiciness, which we all liked.
Chocolate Studio (Future World West)
Liquid Nitro Chocolate-Almond Truffle with Warm Whiskey Caramel – I didn’t try this one (nut allergy) but the others loved it and ordered it on 2 different occasions. The caramel sauce was what made the dish from their report.
Red Wine Chocolate Truffle, above – yes, yes and yes! We had this on our first and last nights. It was perfect with the port and an espresso (which we got from the nearby Starbucks). These are European style truffles, so think soft, delicate and rich. They were dark chocolate and rolled in dark cocoa powder.
Rosa Regale Sweet Red Sparkling Wine, Piedmont – Sweet is the key word but since last visit in March, I regretted not trying the sparkling red wine, so this was a must-try for me. It paired very well with the truffle, but there was no way I could finish a glass. It’s just too sweet for my taste.
Fonseca Bin No. 27 Port, Douro Valley, above – a total win when paired with the dark chocolate truffle and espresso. Dreamy was in heaven and we enjoyed these on the grass nearby on our last evening in Florida.
Islands of the Caribbean (Showcase Plaza)
Mojo Pork with Black Beans, Cilantro Rice and Pickled Red Onions, above – a big hit! The pork was perfectly cooked and seasoned and the pickled onions made for the ideal acid note to balance the richness of the pork. The black beans were properly seasoned, with just a touch of jalapeno and cumin. There was no cilantro in the rice, however. We bought this dish several times on different days and it was consistently excellent. The lines here were the longest of any in the park.
Frozen Mojito, above – like I said earlier, this is a good one with which to start your journey around the World Showcase. I was excited to find it wasn’t too sweet. I was also excited it is a slushie. I never realize I like them until we go somewhere that has them, then I’m all about the slushies! :-)
Refreshment Port (Showcase Plaza)
Both pictured above.
Pineapple Dole® Whip Soft Serve Ice Cream with Bacardi Coconut Rum – Dreamy has never had a Dole® Whip until this event. The rum won him over. You can get it plain or with the rum, but seriously, if you’re over 21, the rum, baby.
Dragon Berry Refresher featuring Bacardi Dragon Berry Rum – I had to look this up to find out what Dragon Berry should taste like. Duh – dragon fruit and berry. Got it. It was fruity, slightly sweet but not too sweet and served on ice. If it had been in slushie form, I’m pretty sure we would have found some trouble.
Patagonia (Showcase Plaza)
Grilled Beef Skewer with Chimichurri Sauce and Boniato Puree, above – This was excellent with tender grilled beef (yes, really grilled) and a generous amount of fresh, bright chimichurri on top. I love boniato (it’s a type of sweet potato, white) so I was happy with this entire dish.
Roasted Verlasso® Salmon with Quinoa Salad and Arugula Chimichurri, above – another hit with rich roasted salmon on top of a cold quinoa salad (that threw me at first, but the flavor was very good with citrus, cumin and diced tomato and sweet pepper throughout) and a hearty ladle of chimichurri on top. I expected a touch of bitterness from the arugula, but there wasn’t a hint. We loved this so much we tried it multiple times so that we can recreate it at home.
Farm Fresh (Showcase Plaza)
Florida Orange Groves Mango Mama Wine – a chap at our resort recommended we try this one, so we did. It was super sweet and you don’t really get the mango flavor. Fruit, sweet and did I say sweet? It’s sweet!
Farm Fresh also offers a Pickled Beet Salad with Herbed Goat Cheese and Toasted Walnuts – I didn’t try it due to nut allergy.
New Zealand (Showcase Plaza)
Kim Crawford Pinot Gris, Marlborough – fruity, not sweet, with a hint of spice, this is a great little walking around wine on a warm day.
Australia (Showcase Plaza)
Grilled Sweet and Spicy Bush Berry Shrimp with Pineapple, Pepper, Onion and Snap Peas, above (night time iPhone pic) – no thanks, mate. This one didn’t hit any of the notes we expected and all three of us were disappointed. We didn’t even finish a single serving between the three of us. It was sweet, the snap peas were extra-fibrous and the shrimp were a tad over-cooked.
Grilled Lamb Chop with Mint Pesto and Potato Crunchies, above (night time iPhone pic) – We love lamb and this was perfectly cooked and the pesto was just the right addition to offset the fattiness of the meat. The potato crunchies, we removed. Dreamy asked me later, “what was that supposed to be on top of the lamb chop?” Exactly. Unidentifiable, salty and not completely crunchy.
Mexico
Mexican Style Red Sangria, above – a punchy sipper on ice that was perfect for walking and sipping on the way to the next snack. This sangria wasn’t too sweet, and the flavors came through nicely.
China
Mango Bubble Tea with Assam Black Tea and Milk, above – This was Ma Petite’s favorite drink from the festival. She had several during our visit.
We also had the peach version from the permanent China Tea Station, as well as a Ginger Caramel Ice Cream Cup that Dreamy said was exceptional.
Africa (Outpost)
Berbere-style Beef Tenderloin Tips with Onions, Jalapenos, Tomato and Pap, above – biggest disappointment all around. We all love African cuisine and I’m a huge fan of berbere spice, but this dish was inedible. The beef was exceptionally tough and not lean like tenderloin tips should be. We tossed it after one bite.
Germany
J&H Selbach Bernkasteler Kurfustlay Riesling Kabinett, Mosel – if you like a dry, not sweet, Riesling, this one is a good choice. Kabinett indicates a reserve-quality wine and is usually a good bet.
Italy
Prosecco, Fontinel Borgo – this is an extremely dry Prosecco with a nice touch of minerality. We enjoyed it very much!
A random limoncello/prosecco cocktail with berry (not at the Festival outpost, but just in the Italy pavillion), above
Brazil (Between Morocco and France)
Escondidinho de Carne – “Little Hidden One” Layered Meat Pie with Mashed Yucca, above, a night time iPhone pic – first bite was amazing, but it was a very greasy, heavy dish. The flavors were on point, but we didn’t get another because we had lots of walking and eating to do and this would definitely weigh you down.
Crispy Pork Belly with Black Beans and Tomato, above, a night time iPhone pic – We were probably most excited about this dish, but the pork belly was not crispy at all. In fact, it was more the texture of roasted pork. The flavor was nice, the portion was large, but that crisp fat and charred meat you look for just weren’t there. The black beans were flavorless.
Pao de Queijo: Brazilian Cheese Bread – if you can eat dairy, this is it! I make a dairy free version at home and we love it. This is a naturally GF bread that uses tapioca as the only flour/starch. If you’re into mixing it up a bit, buy a couple of these then go to Islands of the Caribbean for the Mojo pork and make yourself a slider (image below). ;-)
France
Chardonnay Bourgogne Blanc, Mommessin, La Cle Saint-Pierre – Dreamy had to sample the white Burgundy, as he’s been researching those lately in his wine pursuits. There’s a hint of citrus on the nose and flavors of vanilla and warm bread on the palate.
Germain Sparkling Kir, below – if you follow my Instagram you know we are fans of St. Germain elderflower liqueur. As Dreamy puts it, “the first few we had were superb, but they were a bit sloppy making them as the day wore on”. Have one if you get the chance. The sparkling wine used was a Barton Guestier.
Frozen Daiquiri Ice Pop: Strawberry Puree with French Caribbean Rhum Clement – I made a fun mess of this push-pop, which needed to be more frozen, but the flavor was great! The Clement rum is delicious, and the flavor asserts itself boldly (read: if you aren’t a fan of rum, pass it by).
La Passion Martini Slush: Vodka, Grey Good Le Citron Vodka, Cranberry and Passion Fruit Juice, below. OK, folks, this was the big hit for me. The Frenchies came to know me by the end of our several days visiting and the going joke was, “aaah, ‘allo, madame, bahk for ah-no-zehr?” Yes, my French friends, I was indeed back for another. I’m making a holiday cocktail inspired by this one. I did enough “research” to be able to replicate.
Ireland (Near the United Kingdom)
Warm Chocolate Pudding with Irish Cream Liqueur Custard – I didn’t taste it, but the others gave it a 5 out of 10 because it was very rich, too sweet to the point of cloying.
Canada offers a Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon with Truffle Butter Sauce which smelled wonderful, but just seemed too heavy to us on a warm day. I’ve heard it is excellent from my friend, Alexis, of Alexis’ Gluten Free Adventures. She is the consummate authority on all things gluten-free Disney!!
So there you have it, friends, we went, we ate, we drank and now you can, too! What a fabulous experience to know you can go just about anywhere and have more food and drink than you can eat on your gluten-free diet! Definitely not a deprivation lifestyle!
If you visited the Festival this year, be sure to leave a comment and tell me what your favorites were.
Some posts contain affiliate links for products I use and believe readers may benefit from using. If products are purchased via those links, at no extra cost to you, I receive a small commission. This helps keep the content I share free to you. For more, please see the full disclosures page.
The post Gluten- Free at Epcot International Food & Wine Festival 2016 appeared first on Gluten Free Gigi.