Signature evening galas — The Grand Tasting (pictured), sponsored by Hawaii.com, and Seafood Festival, sponsored by Alaska Airlines Visa Signature — will showcase the culinary delights of Maui’s top restaurants.

KAPALUA – The 35th Kapalua Wine & Food Festival returns June 9-12, 2016 for a magical weekend on the shores of the Kapalua Resort.

This annual “migration” brings together oenophiles, gourmands and enthusiasts of the good life to celebrate, learn and experience the finest culinary trends and viniculture.

Highlights of the weekend include interactive wine tasting seminars: “Globetrotting Winemakers” (winemakers who make wine in two or more countries); Champagne; “Family TreeScions of the Vine” (second- and third-generation winemakers); New Zealand Pinot Noir; “Ten-year Cabernet Retrospective” (a comparison of a young vintage and a ten-year aged wine); and Women Winemakers.

Featured Celebrity Chefs Hugh Acheson of “Top Chef” and the Food Network, and Chef Michele Mazza of the renowned Il Mulino in New York City will each prepare four-course tasting menus paired with rare and hard-to-find wines.

Signature evening galas – The Grand Tasting, sponsored by Hawaii.com, and Seafood Festival, sponsored by Alaska Airlines Visa Signature – will showcase the culinary delights of Maui’s top restaurants.

Host Master Sommelier Michael Jordan will lead the charge for the weekend festivities.

“The 35th annual festival is a tribute to international wines and foods and a celebration of this longest-running food and wine festival in the country. We have invited top winemakers and chefs from throughout the globe, and here on Maui, to feature their most revered vintages and dishes, and share their love for food and wine,” he said.

To date, major sponsors for the 2016 event include The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua; Montage Kapalua Bay; Maui Visitors Bureau; County of Maui; Hawaii.com; Alaska Airlines Visa Signature; FIJI water; and Troon Golf/Kapalua.

Tickets are on sale now with a limited number of early bird discounted pricing being offered through May 1. For information on accommodations packages and travel, or to purchase your tickets online, visit www.kapaluawineandfoodfestival.com.