By Wendy Osher

The Grand Tasting event is the main attraction at the Annual Kapalua Wine & Food Festival. Courtesy photo.

The state’s longest-running food and wine festival celebrates 30 years on Maui.  The Kapalua Wine & Food Festival begins this Thursday, June 9, and continues through Sunday, June 12, featuring culinary exhibitions and wine tasting with Master Sommeliers and celebrated chefs.

The event starts with an introductory class for food and beverage professionals from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua resort.  The three-hour educational seminar takes guests on a journey spanning wines of the world.  Tickets are $40, with proceeds going to the Guild of Sommeliers Education Foundation.

A welcome reception takes place from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 9, at the Kapalua Spa.  The invitation-only event kicks-off the 2011 festival.

On Friday, June 10, there are three planned events being held in conjunction with the festival including the featured Grand Tasting event.  The day starts off with a Festival Golf Tournament at the Bay Course, followed by the Three Decades of Reserve Cab destiny tasting event from 1:30 to 3 p.m.  The featured event, The Grand Tasting – Maui Grown, takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua’s Aloha Garden Pavilion.  The tasting event features over 200 wines, local culinary flavors, and entertainment.  Tickets are $140 and are available through the event Website.

The weekend festivities begin with a Pinots Meet Cheese event from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 11.  From 2 to 3:30 p.m., a wine tasting event, entitled, A Drive up Hwy 101, takes place, giving attendees a taste of the flavors along the famed Pacific Coast Highway in California.

Three featured events take place on Sunday, June 12, 2011 including: You Say Shiraz, I Say Syrah; Farm Fresh with Chef Peter Merriman; and the Maui Seafood Festival.  The Shiraz vs. Syrah event runs from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., featuring dark skinned grape wines.  The custom Farm Fresh event runs from 1 to 3 p.m. with signature dishes from Chef Merriman and wine pairings to match.  Finally, the festival finale concludes with the Maui Seafood Festival on the Beach House Lawn from 6 to 9 p.m.  Tickets for the evening event are $140.

*** Supporting information courtesy Kapalua Food & Wine Festival.  Further details are available on the event website.