By Vanessa Wolf

The inaugural Wailea Wine and Food Festival is happening now.

The festival offers a host of wine-tasting and food pairing events from tonight through Sunday evening.

Some of the highlights include the wine encounter “Three Decades of Cabernet,” held tomorrow from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the Four Seasons Maui.  This is a unique opportunity to taste 30 years’ of Cabernet from three of California’s most well respected wineries: Duckhorn Wine Company, Freemark Abbey, and Charles Krug.

Tickets are $100 or $98 kama’aina.

Designate a driver, because tomorrow night’s “DaVine Experience” will feature over 70 wineries from around the world paired with the award winning cuisine of Wailea Resort Chefs.

The menu will feature pupus such as sauteed shrimp and chorizo bruschetta and Mediterranean short rib martini  from Gannons. Also offered as starters will be truffle grilled ahi, roasted butternut squash & wilted fries; and braised pork cheek tortellinis with haiku tomato ragu, ricotta cheese, and Meyer lemon from Capische?.

The Grand Wailea Reflection Pool, the venue for Saturday’s “DaVine Experience”. Photo courtesy Grand Wailea

Several Wailea restaurants are providing main courses including a coffee and spice-rubbed smoked beef brisket with steak fries and Swiss chard from Duo Steak and Seafood, and a lobster tempura with Kula asparagus, yellow pea sprouts, crispy bean threads, and pineapple sweet chili sauce from Ko.

Amasia is serving star anise and cinnamon soy duck leg with Amasia blend rice, while Nick’s Fishmarket will be featuring crispy skin-on island snapper with surfing goat cheese gnocchi, Kula corn, edamame, Hamakua mushrooms, prosciutto, and sherry vinegar pan sauce.

Dessert is provided by Duo as well as Fabiani’s, who will be presenting caramel macaroons, amaretto chocolate truffles, Michelle’s red velvet cake and Randy’s crumb cake.

Music is provided by SLAM with Jay Molina and Soul Congress with Clay Mortensen.

The “DaVine Experience” is being held at the Grand Wailea on the Oceanfront Reflections Pool Lawn from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $180 or $155 kama’aina.

Sunday’s “Grillin’ & Chillin” BBQ offers a laid-back music-filled afternoon with Wailea’s top chefs manning their grills in an ocean front setting.

Monkeypod Kitchen’s Bulgogi Pork Tacos, which will be served at Sunday’s “Grillin’ n Chillin’ Barbeque.

The Grillin’ and Chillin’ menu is provided in part by the Wailea Beach Marriot, who will be cooking up Mauka/Makai Sliders. These “surf n turf” sandwiches feature sliced honey-mango barbecue rib eye on taro roll; and lobster, shrimp, crab cake on sweet roll with chunky tartar sauce; with condiments of sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions and Asian slaw.

Tommy Bahama’s will be presenting Caribbean spiced grilled ahi tacos with island style salsa, haiku guacamole, Asian slaw, and Waihee valley plantation crispy plantains.

Capische? Will be serving Tuscan grilled hanger steak with salsa verde, Wailea organic spicy greens and warm smoked potato salad.

Monkeypod Kitchen is doing double time and serving Bulgogi pork tacos with pickled carrots, handcrafted kim chee, jalapeno, Asian pear aioli; and kale and macadamia nut salad with Maui onions, golden raisins, oranges, miso sesame vinaigrette.

The Grillin’ and Chillin’ event is from 1-4 p.m. on the Oceanfront Lawn at the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort. Music will be provided by Hi-Groove with Brado and  Kawika Ortiz. Tickets are $125 or $105 kama’aina.

Participating Wailea Resort hotels will provide complimentary valet parking with validation for all event attendees including four-day festival pass holders, a la cart and kama’aina ticket holders.

We welcome your feedback. Watching Top Chef Season Ten and have a question for Chef Simeon? Send it to us – Vanessa (@mauinow.com) – and we’ll ask in a follow-up interview.

Please let us know if you hear of any new restaurants opening or reopening, total menu overhauls, or simply know of a hidden treasure you want to share. Have a restaurant you want reviewed (or re-reviewed)? Drop us a line. Mahalo.