Which Charleston Food Festival Should You Attend?

Heading into the week of the first Food + Wine Classic in Charleston, there was some confusion about what was happening. When telling acquaintances that I was attending the festival, I heard questions like, “Didn’t we just have one of those?” and “Are they doing drag brunch again?”

People (understandably) mixed up Charleston Wine + Food and Food & Wine Classic in Charleston, so here’s a quick guide on how they differ.

Price

In 2024, Charleston Wine + Food offered a weekend pass for $1450, which included access to the Culinary Village tastings and five signature events. Participants could also choose a la carte tickets for separate events.

Consumer packages for Food & Wine Classic started at $2,450; the price was later discounted to $1950. This included admittance to the 19,000-square-foot tasting pavilion throughout the September 27-29 weekend and access to panels and seminars.

Cameron Wilder

Vibes

Charleston Wine + Food is a party — it is a festival with the emphasis being on the wine more than the food sometimes. Ticket holders for the Culinary Village bring friends, plan outfits with big hats, and happily stand in line for liquor samples. There’s a wide range of events to choose from, like signature dinners, oyster roasts, champagne tastings, Gullah Geechee suppers, and more.

Think of Food & Wine Classic as a conference for food nerds with some wine thrown in. Attendees go to a morning seminar (red wine at 10 a.m. is acceptable if you’re learning about pinot noir) and then hit the tasting pavilion at the Visitor’s Center to sample generous helpings of shrimp, scallops, entire breakfast burritos, more shrimp, lobster arepas, and more. After you’re full, you go to another hour-long seminar (usually with a celebrity chef), and then it’s back to the pavilion for more bites. Ticket holders are super engaged with the chefs and winemakers — they ask questions and genuinely want to learn. The seminars and tasting pavilions run Friday through Saturday, with a final seminar on Sunday morning.

Talent

Charleston Wine + Food features local talent, but it also brings in a range of chefs from across the country to participate in the Culinary Village, signature dinners, and more.

Food & Wine Classic emphasized Charleston chefs in the tasting pavilion. All the big players in town, like Cru Cafe, Charleston Grill, and Indigo Road, were in attendance. Non-local chefs were mainly featured in the seminars and included celebrities like Sean Brock, Stephanie Izard, Tyler Florence, Andrew Zimmern, and more. Attendees also had access to editors and writers from Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, and Southern Living — so if you want to meet Hunter Lewis, you probably could.

Age

Charleston Wine + Food has operated in the Lowcountry since 2005, and the upcoming 2025 season marks its 20th anniversary.

Food & Wine Classic announced in December 2023 that it would, for the first time, move outside of Aspen, Colorado, and hold events in Charleston. This was year one in the Lowcountry, and plans are to return next year.

Season

Charleston Wine + Food takes place in the spring (usually the first week of March), where Food & Wine Classic takes place in the fall. Both can have unpredictable weather. This year, Charleston Wine + Food canceled its Culinary Village events due to flooding from storms. Flooding also caused Food & Wine Classic to push back its Friday Grand Tasting by an hour.