Beginning Thursday May 19, three days filled with numerous events hosted by participating businesses of the Raleigh Food and Wine Festival will lead up to Sunday’s Grand Tasting Event.

Raleigh, NC - To kick off the four-day Raleigh Food & Wine Festival, three days food, fun, and libations will showcase a variety of Raleigh businesses in the food and beverage community. The lineup includes include tastings, cooking classes, wine dinners, and facility tours - each designed to give attendees a closer look at the story and personalities behind many of the Festival’s featured businesses.

Level of involvement ranges for each event, from casual walk-in styled affairs - to more exclusive setups requiring advance reservations. With such a variety of tastes and atmospheres offered during the first three days of the Raleigh Food and Wine Festival, these individual events truly compose a well-rounded introduction for what to expect from the Grand Tasting Event on Sunday, May 22 at Babylon Restaurant and Melrose Knitting Mill special events space.

Thursday, May 19 - The first day of the Raleigh Food and Wine Festival features quite the lineup of specialty dinners to start off the weekend of indulging in Raleigh culture and tastes. Along with the wide variety of dinner selections, also on the menu are a cooking class featuring this season’s star - strawberries! - a happy hour tasting, and a cheese straw sampling.

No matter if you are in the mood for a 5-course dinner or just a glass of wine, Thursday’s events are a great first taste of what the 2016 Raleigh Food and Wine Festival has to offer:

LUCETTEGRACE: STRAWBERRIES, STRAWBERRIES, STRAWBERRIES! - http://www.raleighfoodandwine.com/2016/04/lucettegrace-strawberries-strawberries-strawberries/

RYE: JACK DANIELS DINNER - http://www.raleighfoodandwine.com/2016/04/rye-jack-daniels-dinner/

HADLEY’S: HAPPY HOUR FRENCH WINE TASTING - http://www.raleighfoodandwine.com/2016/04/hadleys-happy-hour-french-wine-tasting/

ARARAT IMPORT: WINE DINNER AT CAVE 1912 - http://www.raleighfoodandwine.com/2016/05/ararat-import-wine-dinner-at-cave-1912/

BABYLON: GUEST CHEF DINNER - http://www.raleighfoodandwine.com/2016/05/babylon-guest-chef-dinner/

MIDTOWN OLIVE OIL: 350 CHEESE STRAW SAMPLING - http://www.raleighfoodandwine.com/2016/05/midtown-olive-oil-350-cheese-straw-sampling/

INDIO RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE: PRIX FIXE DINNER - http://www.raleighfoodandwine.com/2016/05/indio-restaurant-and-lounge-prix-fixe-dinner/

PLATES: 5-COURSE WINE DINNER - http://www.raleighfoodandwine.com/2016/04/plates-5-course-wine-dinner/

Friday, May 20 - To celebrate the end of a long work week, Friday’s events take a step further into the decadence that the Raleigh Food and Wine Festival can truly supply. Similar to Thursday, this day’s events also includes two premium dinner offerings, but also goes on to include a balsamic tasting, bitters lab tour, wine and food pairing, and couples’ dessert event. So if you are looking for a sweet start to the weekend, Friday’s events are a few you can not miss!

BABYLON: AL FORNO FRIDAY -http://www.raleighfoodandwine.com/2016/04/babylon-al-forno-friday/

PLATES: PREMIUM WINE & PRIX FIXE DINNER - http://www.raleighfoodandwine.com/2016/04/plates-premium-wine-prix-fixe-dinner/

CRUDE BITTERS AND SODAS: BITTERS LAB TOUR - http://www.raleighfoodandwine.com/2016/05/crude-bitters-and-sodas-bitters-lab-tour/

MIDTOWN OLIVE OIL: WHITE BALSAMIC VINEGARS - http://www.raleighfoodandwine.com/2016/05/midtown-olive-oil-white-balsamic-vinegars/

LUCETTEGRACE: SWEETS WITH YOUR SWEETIE - http://www.raleighfoodandwine.com/2016/04/lucettegrace-sweets-with-your-sweetie/

RYE: WINE FOOD AND PAIRING RECEPTION - http://www.raleighfoodandwine.com/2016/04/rye-wine-food-and-pairing-reception/

Saturday, May 21 - For Saturday’s events being the last ones hosted individually by participating businesses, the whole day is full of can’t-miss events! This day features the continuation of even more tours, unique lunch and dinners, tastings, and even wraps up with an elaborate 1920’s-themed cocktail party. With events happening over the entire day, Saturday is certainly a day of the Raleigh Food and Wine Festival that fuels great excitement for the Grand Tasting that follows on Sunday.

PLATES: PREMIUM WINE & PRIX FIXE DINNER - http://www.raleighfoodandwine.com/2016/04/plates-premium-wine-prix-fixe-dinner/

LUCETTEGRACE: PRIX FIXE LUNCH & DESSERT - http://www.raleighfoodandwine.com/2016/04/lucettegrace-prix-fixe-lunch-dessert/

WHOLE FOODS MARKET: CELEBRATION OF SOUTHERN CUISINE - http://www.raleighfoodandwine.com/2016/05/whole-foods-market-celebration-of-southern-cuisine/

THE RALEIGH WINE SHOP: FREE TASTING - http://www.raleighfoodandwine.com/2016/05/the-raleigh-wine-shop-free-tasting/

MIDTOWN OLIVE OIL: FLAVORED OLIVE OILS - http://www.raleighfoodandwine.com/2016/05/midtown-olive-oil-flavored-olive-oils/

RALEIGH RUM COMPANY: DISTILLERY TOUR - http://www.raleighfoodandwine.com/2016/05/raleigh-rum-company-distillery-tour/

RYE: FRONT PORCH SITTIN’ AND SIPPIN’ - RYE: FRONT PORCH SITTIN’ AND SIPPIN’

CRUDE BITTERS AND SODAS: BITTERS LAB TOURS - http://www.raleighfoodandwine.com/2016/05/crude-bitters-and-sodas-bitters-lab-tours/

HADLEY’S: THE ROARING 20’S COME ALIVE - http://www.raleighfoodandwine.com/2016/04/hadleys-the-roaring-20s-come-alive/

For RSVP requirements and further details on each featured event, check out the Raleigh Food & Wine Festival online at RaleighFoodandWine.com.

After the success of the inaugural 2015 event, the Raleigh Food and Wine Festival has returned for its second year in hopes of expanding and topping the grand experience of the year before. The three days of events, May 19-21, leading up to the Grand Tasting Event on Sunday, May 22, truly seek to engage and connect the attendees directly with the participating businesses participating in the Raleigh Food and Wine Festival. None of these events would be possible without the dedicated involvement of the festival’s participants as well as the support of 2016 Raleigh Food & Wine Festival sponsors including OrderUp Raleigh, Bulleit Bourbon, Don Julio Tequila, Ketel One Vodka, Pepsi, Whole Foods Market and RelayFoods.com. The organizers of the Raleigh Food & Wine Festival wish to sincerely thank these organizations for their commitment and support!

For more information about the 2016 Raleigh Food & Wine Festival, please contact co-founder Lisa Jeffries at Info@RaleighFoodandWine.com or 919-229-9725.

About the Raleigh Food & Wine Festival

The Raleigh Food and Wine Festival is a four-day event highlighting some of the most unique offerings in food and beverage in Raleigh, NC. The 2016 Festival takes place Thursday, May 19, 2016 through Sunday, May 22, 2016. Co-founded by Samad Hachby (Creative Director & Executive Chef, Babylon restaurant and Melrose Knitting Mill special events venue) and Lisa Jeffries (Founder & Principal, Raleighwood Media Group + Raleighwood Event Group), the festival features over 40 participating businesses - from restaurants to local purveyors. Follow updates from the Raleigh Food & Wine Festival online at RaleighFoodandWine.com and on social media with the hashtag #RFWF.