Mickey Mouse with a glass of chardonnay? Pluto carefully selecting the finest dinnerware and tableware? Minnie scouring an interactive CD-ROM based wine tasting course for tips and hints? Not really! Alcohol of any form and the Disney Empire simply do not mix – usually! (We’ll ignore the short period in 2007 where they were considering releasing a Ratatouille wine, with a disney character on the label). However, every year in late autumn the Epcot Centre hosts the annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival at Walt Disney World Resort. During the six-week, entertainment-packed event, guests can taste fine cuisine and wines from the top “foodie” cities of the world.
Disney characters are by no means the only well loved cartoon-based creations that would appreciate the contents of a wooden wine cabinet. Brian Griffin’s drug of choice is clearly booze! If you have any doubt, run a Google Images search where you will find that 9 out of 10 pictures of Brian show him with a cocktail glass in hand!
Other evidence comes from his frequent pleading of “whose leg do I have to hump to get a dry martini around here?” Wine or beer is absolutely essential to Futurama’s most reprehensible, yet lovable, creation. Bender needs the chemical energy from alcohol to be able to function properly. Excessive drinking is therefore mandatory or he will become sober and unable to control his body. Magnets stuck to his head make him sing like a folk singer and his favourite drink is Olde Fortran Malt liquor.
Back in the real world (or a real as Disney ever gets) Epcot kitchens turn up the heat and bring out the posh tableware/dinnerware for a global tasting experience that includes sampling Camarões com Palmito (shrimp with palms) from Brazil while sipping the trendiest wines from Argentina. The festival spotlights tastes and wines from six continents, serving tapas-sized portions of regional specialties paired with recommended wines and beers to accompany. Beer aficionados can raise their steins at several tasting locations, including a Biergarten that specialises in light or dark brews. Various souvenirs are available, ranging from simple items like a bottle opener to event cookbooks but unlike the talking dog and the bending robot, the giant mouse and his retinue cannot touch a drop!
Classic Wine direct sell various selected wines from all over the world which have won numerous awards.
