Midwest food and wine events offer taste of fun this fall

A showroom full of sinks, toilets and tubs is the unlikely backdrop for one of the Midwest’s top-shelf epicurean events.

Kohler Food and Wine, Oct. 19-22, is a four-day celebration of gustatory delights in the quaint village of Kohler, about an hour north of Milwaukee. The town is home to both a five-star resort and the headquarters of the kitchen, bath and plumbing fixtures giant of the same name.

For the past 17 years, the hospitality arm of Kohler Co. has put on this popular festival featuring celebrity chefs, wine experts and cookbook authors in a series of culinary seminars, tastings, dinners and parties. Last year’s talent pool included Spike Mendelsohn, Aaron Sanchez, Amanda Freitag and Fabio Viviani. “Top Chef” alums Richard Blais and Stephanie Izard, as well as Food Network stars Alex Guarnaschelli and Jeff Mauro as well as the team from “America’s Test Kitchen” are among the headliners for this autumn’s installment.

The long weekend’s most sought-after ticket typically is Taste of the Vine, held in the spacious Kohler Design Center, a multilevel showcase of Kohler products that will probably ignite the urge to remodel your home. At the evening event, dozens of wine representatives set up shop among the bathroom and kitchen displays, pouring tastes of their products into the glasses of guests who graze on an assortment of heavy hors d’oeuvres and desserts stationed throughout the showroom. (Don’t miss the design center’s lower-level museum for some interesting history about the Kohler company and village, one of the country’s first planned communities.)

Festivalgoers can spend the days sitting in on cooking demos and a wide range of seminars devoted to topics like Sicilian vino, oysters, and wine and cheese pairings. Many of these tasty tutorials are held at Kohler’s American Club, an old-school, elegant hotel that originally functioned as a dormitory for the Kohler factory’s largely immigrant workforce. (Register for the free “Industry in Action” factory tour for an in-depth look at how the company’s myriad products are made today.)

Seminars and other festival-related events are also held at the nearby Shops at Woodlake, a short walk from the American Club and design center. That’s where you’ll find Craverie Chocolatier Cafe, a sweet little spot serving Kohler’s own line of chocolates, like the Original Buttery Terrapin, a twist on traditional chocolate turtles.

Once you’ve had your fill of food, take advantage of the resort’s amenities, like the championship golf courses and Kohler Waters Spa, boasting a robust menu of hydrotherapy treatments. Or hop on one of the American Club’s bicycles and pedal to the shores of Lake Michigan in Sheboygan.

Food and Wine ticket prices for individual events range from $25 to $260. Various hotel packages that include tickets and lodging are available. Call 866-857-7278 or visit kohlerfoodandwine.com.

Save room for these wine-focused Midwest events:

Vintage Illinois

Sept. 16-17

Illinois’ largest wine festival featuring tastings from at least 25 of the state’s wineries takes place near Starved Rock in Matthiessen State Park, about 4 miles south of Utica; vintageillinois.com.

Grand Rapids International Wine, Beer & Food Festival

Nov. 16-18

More than 18,000 people pour into DeVos Place convention center for this annual shindig, where 100-plus wineries from around the world will be offering some 1,200 wines — including 200 from Michigan. Beer, cider and spirits are well represented, too; grwinefestival.com.

lrackl@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @lorirackl

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