Editor's note: A version of this story appears in The Aspen Times annual Food & Wine magazine. Pick up a copy now for more on the festival.
In our ever-evolving world, some things deserve recognition for their longevity and stability.
This year marks the 43rd edition of the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, which has transcended its founding as a mere local wine and food tasting to become the premier culinary gathering in the country. It is a venerable tradition, worthy of celebration. The Classic kicks off the summer season June 19-21. This year, officially, as the summer solstice occurs on a Sunday of the Classic.
Food & Wine Classic
The 2026 Food & Wine Classic will bring 5,000 food and wine lovers to the tents and tastings in the picturesque Rockies to experience the crafts of culinary and wine professionals who travel from around the world to be a part of it. In addition to filling the town with visitors, the event has a significant impact on the local community. Over 500 volunteers participate annually, making it one of the signature events on the town's packed, solid summer schedule. Once the tents are erected in mid-June in Wagner Park, locals know that the season of the sun is about to begin.
The genesis of the Classic dates to June 1983, when the event first debuted as the Aspen/Snowmass International Wine Classic. Fifty winemakers poured wines for just over 300 guests. "We set up a tent in the parking lot near Snowmass Village," event co-founder and local wine shop owner Gary Plumley remembered a few years back as he reminisced about that first gathering. "We had a tasting in the covered tennis court where the Maroon Creek Club is and held a dessert and wine pairing on the Roaring Fork River below the Meadows."
Now 43 years on, the tradition continues throughout Aspen over three days in one of the most anticipated weekends of the year. This year's Classic line-up includes over 60 culinary stars and more than 80 cooking demonstrations, wine seminars, panel discussions and spirits tastings.
Classic
As is always the case, the list of cooking talent hosting seminars at the Classic reads like a who's who of America's best chefs. Favorite food personalities who have been fixtures in Classics past, such as Bobby Flay, Stephanie Izard, Tyler Florence and Andrew Zimmern, will once again take center stage in tents and ballrooms filled with fans. They will be joined by an impressive roster of super talents, including Phil Rosenthal, Maneet Chauhan, Tiffany Derry, Danny Garcia, Gregory Gourdet, Shota Nakajima, Ayesha Nurdjaja, Chris Shepherd, Brooke Williamson and Claudette Zepeda, among many others.
There will also be an appearance by Rhoda Magbitang, winner of Bravo's Top Chef Season 23, in a seminar at The St Regis. And this year, for the first time, every cooking demonstration will offer a tasting for attendees.
In another special treat this year, Food & Wine magazine will bring its longest-standing accolade -- Best New Chefs -- to the stage with a first-ever branded program led by 1990 F&W Best New Chef Nancy Silverton, featuring a demo revisiting dishes from her award year. You can read more about Nancy in this issue on page 18.
Florence and Andrew Zimmern
In addition to cooking demos, the Classic will also present over 50 wine, cocktail and beverage seminars. As always, standout wine professionals will be opening top-shelf wines. Aspen favorites like showman Mark Oldman, The Little Nell alumni featuring Bobby Stuckey (alongside Carlin Karr), Sabato Sagaria and Carlton McCoy and newcomer Arjav Ezekiel, who won the James Beard Award in 2025 for "Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service," will be making presentations. And, in a much-anticipated seminar, longtime presenter Anthony Giglio will pair wines alongside Aspen's own Laura Werlin, America's foremost authority on cheese.
Also making its debut is a new program, Alpine Escapes, which will allow passholders to experience the splendors of the Aspen summer for themselves. Passholders have registered for intimate group experiences, including yoga, a Sound Bath, hiking and meditation in some of the most beautiful and iconic locations in the community.
For many hospitality professionals, the highlight of the Classic weekend is the opportunity to reengage with their old friends and peers in the industry. According to the event organizers, "The Food & Wine Classic in Aspen is one of the rare venues where consumers, professionals and industry collaborators converge to candidly exchange ideas, rival opinions and shared visions for the future of food and beverage. Conversations begun in Aspen often continue shaping the industry long after the weekend ends."
Oldman the Little Nell
"What has always distinguished the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen is the range of people it brings together in conversation," said Food & Wine Editor in Chief Hunter Lewis. "In partnership with American Express and Resy, we're reinvigorating the trade program to focus on innovation, shaping the hospitality business today and creating more moments for leaders to explore, gather, network and break bread." This year, the venue for the Trade Program shifts to the spectacular Aspen Art Museum.
And of course, for many, the standout events of the weekend are the five Grand Tastings under the tents, where attendees can taste food and drinks from 150+ winemakers, chefs, distillers and hospitality groups. While there, don't miss Food & Wine: The Wine Bar, a pop-up activation curated by Food & Wine editors showcasing their favorite products, drinks, chefs and recipes.
Summer officially returns this weekend, and so too does the top culinary event in the country. Kudos to the venerable Food & Wine Classic in Aspen.
We set up a tent in the parking lot near Snowmass Village.
The wider picture
Restaurants live and die on repeat visits, which makes consistency considerably more valuable than any single moment of brilliance.
The short version
- 43 years on, the tradition continues throughout Aspen over three days in one of the most anticipated weekends of the year
- As is always the case, the list of cooking talent hosting seminars at the Classic reads like a who's who of America's best chefs
- In addition to cooking demos, the Classic will also present over 50 wine, cocktail and beverage seminars
- Making its debut is a new program, Alpine Escapes, which will allow passholders to experience the splendors of the Aspen summer for themselves
- For many hospitality professionals, the highlight of the Classic weekend is the opportunity to reengage with their old friends and peers in the industry
The numbers worth knowing
- The 2026 Food & Wine Classic will bring 5,000 food and wine lovers to the
- The genesis of the Classic dates to June 1983, when the event first debuted as the Aspen/Snowmass International Wine Classic
Common questions
What should you know about Classic?
The genesis of the Classic dates to June 1983, when the event first debuted as the Aspen/Snowmass International Wine Classic.
Why does it matter?
In addition to filling the town with visitors, the event has a significant impact on the local community.
What happens next?
Favorite food personalities who have been fixtures in Classics past, such as Bobby Flay, Stephanie Izard, Tyler Florence and Andrew Zimmern, will once again take center stage in tents and ballrooms filled with fans.
In short
How this plays out in the dining room will take time to become clear. For now it is a development worth following rather than judging.