[Recap] 2017 Atlanta Food & Wine Festival | A Southern Roadtrip For Your Tastebuds #KnowTheSouth #AFWF17 Tuesday 06 June, 2017

I went on a mini roadtrip but not by car! I took a  culinary roadtrip with my tastebuds as I attended the 2017 Atlanta Food & Wine Festival with the theme of this year #KnowTheSouth. You all know I am a huge foodie, and when I travel hands down the south always surprises me how the come up with the most amazing flavors and combos for a great food dish. The theme for the festival was perfect as people are traveling more, and it enhanced it from other states Food and Wine Festivals by including other states verses just focusings on delectables from Georgia alone. Brillant concept and I am here to share all of the foodie and drink recaps in this post for you all.

Centrally located in Midtown Atlanta, the seventh annual Atlanta Food & Wine Festival brought together more than 180 chefs, sommeliers, mixologists, and pit-masters on June 1 – 4 at the Loews Atlanta Hotel. Through in-depth Learning Experiences, all-you-can indulge Tasting Tents, distinct Dinners and Events, and a talented Advisory Council, the four-day event provides guests with countless ways to know the South.

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So if our tastebuds went on a roadtrips, where did we go? Here are The Southern Taste Tour States that participated in the #AFWF17 tasting tents:

  • ALABAMA
  • ARKANSAS
  • WASHINGTON, DC
  • FLORIDA
  • GEORGIA
  • KENTUCKY
  • LOUISIANA
  • MARYLAND
  • MISSISSIPPI
  • NORTH CAROLINA
  • SOUTH CAROLINA
  • TENNESSEE
  • TEXAS
  • VIRGINIA

What made this brilliant for the #AFWF17 to include these southern states is that it did give us a feel and flavor of each location. I have never been to some of these states myself but each location had their own southern flair. Some that I did recognize such as Louisiana for their seafood, or Tennessee for their hot chicken. Basically this was the quickest roadtrip ever and your tastebuds never had to take a pitstop (well unless you overindulged). As you all know I also travel on this blog and food recaps are major, so with many of these locations it actually inspiring me to take an actual trip to some of these cities and do some food tastings in the future. The power of food will do that!

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Tasting Tents – Designed to take guests on an epicurean journey through the South, the Festival’s Tasting Tents are not the typical Festival tasting experience. The all-you-can-indulge layout allows guests the opportunity to eat, drink and explore the region’s top food and drink products and chef creations while also celebrating international influences that have shaped our region. After a successful relocation last year, Piedmont Park’s Greensward Promenade will once again provide the perfect backdrop for the Tasting Tents, which will now take place on Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoon. Tasting Tents will also feature Sommelier wine lounges, a cocktail garden, live music, and interactive food and beverage pairing areas.

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#KNOWTHESOUTH

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I have to give it to Hendricks Gin at the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival. They had the most creative and interactive tasting tent there. I love when brands go all out. They had this cute steampunk vintage theme going on and I loved it. Everyone who was apart of this tent dressed accordingly, with fun crafted drinks, there was even a drink concoction contraption! They stayed trued to their “The Most Unusual Gin” concept. Loved it!

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I never pass up a fun photo opp! The Hendrick’s Gin acrobatic biker was fun! He was doing all types of “unusual” tricks!

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Hendricks Gin vintage cocktail contraption maker

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If you are not from Atlanta, there is an epic Popsicle staple here called King of Pops (yes its a pun from MJ). They created a fun drink and pop combo called “Poptails” (Popsicles and Cocktails). Amazing and they actually have their own bar in Ponce City Market. You have to get your life and try a poptail once in your life!

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So special treat. On this southern culinary tour of the south, we got a little taste of the Caribbean too! St.Kitts and The Virgin Islands had tasting tents and it was epic! The islands always have their own distinct flavor and style so it was cool to have a Caribbean flair mixed with the southern taste tents. Again it is travel season for the summer and maybe, just possibly next year theme can be an Atlanta island taste tour. Hey a girl can dream!

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As you can see I had too much fun with the tastings. So much food and drinks of course I couldn’t get everything but you feel the essence of the southern comfort food. So many noticeable brands we all recognize were there as well as brands you might not be familiar with. Big chains and mom and pops were there giving samples and swag to give us all just a little taste (literally) of what they have to offer. Im still full from this event. One of the best events annually Atlanta has to offer, its safe to say #AFWF17 Know the South theme was a success!

About Atlanta Food & Wine Festival Launched in 2010, by Atlanta entrepreneurs Dominique Love and Elizabeth Feichter, the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival is a four-day culinary experience dedicated to shining an international spotlight on the rich food and beverage traditions of the South from Texas to the District of Columbia. With an Advisory Council of 91 award-winning talent from 13 Southern states and the District of Columbia, the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival is one part conference and one part party, offering carefully-crafted programs and events to entertain and educate consumers about Southern food and drink. The Festival also celebrates the flavors of other Southern regions around the globe including Southern Europe, South Africa, South America, Southern Hemisphere (Australia and New Zealand) and South-of-the-Border for Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Caribbean. The Atlanta Food & Wine Festival is a member of the IWSC Group North America’s portfolio of events. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.atlfoodandwinefestival.com. Follow Atlanta Food & Wine Festival on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. #KnowTheSouth #AFWF17

Whats your favorite Southern Foodie City?

About the Blogger - Kiwi the Beauty


Kiwi is the free spirited blogger and content creator of KiwiTheBeauty.com. As a digital influencer, she produces creative inspiration around beauty, lifestyle, media and travel leisure. Her life mantra is to make manifesting fun! When she’s not blogging, she is eating trendy hipster food, carrying crystals, making it rain at her local farmer's market and binge brunching. Follow her on her blog and social media at kiwithebeauty.com + @kiwithebeauty


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61 Comments

  • Robin rue says:

    Look at all that good food. I love, love, love food in the south!!

  • The Food and Wine Fest is always a good time! My husband and I were there this year and it was a blast.

  • Sarah Bailey says:

    Oh my goodness look at all that food, what an amazing looking festival – it is always so nice to get to such events and see what is on offer.

  • Jeni says:

    This looks like an amazing food and wine festival. I don’t know what I would head to first, the food or the booze. So many good things, I wouldn’t know where to start. I would want to try one of everything I think.

  • Dogvills says:

    Oh, what an exciting event. And look at all the food. Everything looks delicious.

  • It’s been a while since I last went to a food and wine festival! I miss the excitement and the fun of trying out all the good food plus the good wine too! This recap made me hungry!

  • Such a fun festival to attend! Atlanta knows how to satisfy people with their food, that’s for sure. I’m glad you had a great time while you were there! I would totally make the most of it as well.

  • ricci says:

    All of this food and wine looks and sounds amazing!! I would love the opportunity to attend the Atlanta Food and Wine Festival!!

  • Mandee says:

    Oh my goodness! How fun! Everything looks so good! We really enjoy visiting the south—and eating there! Our favorite place to visit is the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area. 🙂

  • This looks like a fun time! I have never got to attend a festival like this one but it sounds like a fun time!

  • This looks like the type of festival that I would enjoy a lot! I love to try new drinks and I most certainly love to eat. I hate that I missed this.

  • Brianne says:

    What a great event! I just love food and wine festivals! YUM!

  • This is a heck of a state participation list! The dishes look terrific. I really like the pictures.

  • Tim B. says:

    that was neat the tents for this food fest has state themes. I would have enjoyed participating in this.

  • I love all the photos! I live in Georgia but couldn’t attend this year. Maybe next time!

  • I would have loved to go to this! I live too far thought to make it.

  • Wendy Polisi says:

    Now THIS is my kind of festival! It looks like it was a ton of fun!

  • Jilly Spellman says:

    I would love to do something like this. All of the food looks amazing! I bet you are having a blast.

  • Jeanine says:

    Wow what fun! Looks like you had a really great time, and this would be something i would love to attend! Love some food and wine!

  • Jennifer says:

    Food festivals are so much fun! I love that this one also included wine. All of it looks delicious.

  • uprunforlife says:

    This looks like so much fun. We have always been curious about doing a wine tour but weren’t sure how it worked. Thank you for sharing, this is something that my husband would enjoy. I will have to surprise him next time there is a wine festival in our area.

  • Mimi Green says:

    Everything looks really good. I like that other southern states participated. It would have been cool to see what state made what. What does Washington, DC taste like?

  • This festival looked like so much fun! I can’t wait until more festivals start happening up here in Canada. We had our first one last weekend, and now that I got a taste of the fun summer event life, I don’t want it to stop!

  • Amy Desrosiers says:

    Ok, I live for food events like this! I bet you tasted a ton of yummy bites and had some gooood drinks.

  • Mary Edwards says:

    I would love to try one of each please. It looks like you had a great time. I’ve been to the EPCOT food and wine fest. I’d love to try more

  • That looks super fun! I will definitely drop by when they go here!

  • Atlanta always has the best events. I know you had tons of fun and I’ll have put this on the radar for 2018. – yolonda

  • Oh my gosh – how fun! We went to this last year, but unfortunately were not able to go this time. It was such a fun time with so many delicious wines and foods to try! It looks like we missed a great time this year. Hopefully we can go again next year.

  • Jeanette says:

    Looks like a great list of States that participated. I bet there was a lot of diversity in each flavor! I would love to check it out sometime.

  • Those food looks delicious and I am interested with the wine! I love the print and style of your dress too.

  • Victoria says:

    Whoa, this is event overload for me lol. There were just so many exciting things there, which makes it look like a blast and from your photos I feel like I actually experienced it myself. That vintage cocktail contraption is definitely something that stands out to me though.

  • Melanie says:

    I have never been to a Food and Wine Festival. I have heard so much about them, though, that I would like to attend one someday. This one is not too far from me. Maybe I can catch it in the future.

  • Dogvills says:

    You were asking what is my favorite southern foodie city? It is Atlanta. All that delicious food and wine is enough reason to choose Atlanta!

  • Lisa Favre says:

    Wow! You captured so many amazing photos so it’s clear to see that you had an amazing time. I would love to go to a wine festival. It’s definitely the kind of festival my husband and I would enjoy together.

  • Amber Myers says:

    What a cool event! I don’t drink wine, but I do love food so I’d pig out on a lot of this. Yum!

  • Sarah Bailey says:

    I totally admit the look of the food has me drooling doesn’t it just look so delicious.

  • Chasity L Boatman says:

    Wow! I would love to attend an event like this. The photography in your post was top notch as well.

  • Sarah Honey says:

    Looks like a fantastic event! I would love to go and check it out next year! Looking up the dates for next year!

  • Maurene Cab says:

    I’m also a great foodie. I just enjoy different kinds of food. I’m glad you had that experience going to Atlanta.

  • Jaime Nicole says:

    My mouth started to water when I saw the Chicken Bites with pimento cheese grits! I’m a former southern girl so this reminds me of home!

  • Lynzy & Co says:

    OMG this looks like so much fun. I haven’t gone to a food and wine festival is forever. My mouth literally was watering at all the amazing food, and super GREAT wine. Such a great recap.

  • I could totally go for a culinary road trip! It looks like such a fun event. I love pretty much all southern food, so I could go for this.

  • Jacqui S says:

    I am totally jealous! LOL. We don’t have anything like that in my new town. It’s much smaller and we have to drive a longer distance if we want to get anywhere. But like you I love a good wine and all of those drinks look like something I would definitely want to try ha ha. Thanks for sharing!

  • Pam says:

    I live close to Atlanta but I always miss the cool events like this. All that food looks great. Especially the hot chicken bites.

  • Neha Saini says:

    When you get a chance, please stop by this quaint shop. If you’re looking for a unique gift for anyone on your list, or even a treat for yourself, the LONA Gallery has it!!

  • Betty says:

    It looked like a fun festival full of different and yummy foods! If I am near Atlanta I would definitely love to go next time!

  • Amanda Love says:

    Wow this is amazing! I love food and wine festivals and Atlanta sure knows how to throw one! I think it’s great that you got to try the local food and the wine too!

  • I love attending food and wine festivals. It is always so exciting! So much to see and lots to indulge in.

  • Polarbelle says:

    Anytime I travel, the one thing I really want to do is taste teh local food of the area, to get a feel for the region I’m visiting. I think the south has the most incredible unique food.

  • Rebecca Swenor says:

    The 2017 Atlanta Food & Wine Festival sounds like it was so much fun. I would love to go to an event like this one. There are so many different foods as well as drinks that would not mind trying at all. I love the The Hendrick’s Gin acrobatic biker. Thanks for sharing your awesome experiences.

  • Natalie z says:

    Well all that food just looks divine! I love going to events like that to explore new foods!

  • Anosa says:

    Indeed such an amazing experience for you. I hope I will be able to experience this kind of event too.

  • I consider myself a foodie so I would love to attend a festival like this. I would definitely want to sample every single thing at this festival lol.

  • This does look like such an amazing event. I have been to a few food and wine festivals but none of them have been in the south. I imagine they would have a lot of regional food that I would love to try. They must have some really excellent BBQ there as well that I wouldn’t find here where I am at. I know we are ecclectic but seriously the west does not have much in the way of BBQ places. Anyway, I hope I do get to go to a food event out there where you are at some point.

  • Wow – that sounds like it was so much fun! I love food and wine festivals and this one sounds like it was a good one!

  • Ali Rost says:

    As a food blogger, I’ve always wanted to go to the Food and Wine Festival. It looks like it was so much fun! Everything looks incredible. Especially the chicken bites and portals! Hopefully next year I’ll be able to go x

  • So basically after you go to this you’ve gotta spend the month in the gym! This is obviously a must attend. What a great event.

  • Mae Johnson says:

    Looks so much fun! My hubby and I loves exploring food and wine festivals, it’s a great social scene and a way to experience new flavors. The food looks so delicious and yes, get me some of that Guinness! LOL!

    Mae | http://www.thegospelofbeauty.org

  • Wow this looks like a great time. I’ve yet to get to southern Food Festival but love the ones up here.

  • Allison says:

    Oh this looks like soooo much fun! Tasting event are my thing. I’m also an alcoholic so makes sense lol jk. Looks like you had a blast. Las Vegas has something similar only not outside, and not as cool.


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