Previewing the 2026 Nantucket Wine & Food Festival. Here's what to expect

All right, so with me just around the corner, we want to let you in on some exciting events happening soon. So the 28th Nantucket Wine and Food Festival is one of America's most prestigious culinary events. It's happening May 27th through the 31st. And even though we've got a few weeks right now before the event, tickets are going to go on sale. They're already on sale. It goes by really quickly. So let's talk about some good food right here, good drinks to get you in a good mood. Joining me now is Nancy Bede, the owner of the festival, and Joe as well. He is the owner of the Duxbury Oyster Company. We'll get to you in just a little bit. Fun activity coming up first. Tell us a little bit about the festival. It's so exciting that it's almost here, right? Yeah, right around the corner. We're about actually four weeks from today. So exciting. We begin, and yeah, there's 50 plus events over the course of the five days. So there's sort of something for everybody. And we have everything from, you know, small intimate dinners to a gorgeous, extravagant island gala. We thought to bring oysters here with us today just because they so represent oysters and bubbles of every which kind. I was going to say, okay, well, so in terms of the actual festival, so you got the gala, you have wine tastings and all of these experiences. How would you describe it? And why is Nantucket so special to make this all happen? Yeah, it is interesting. People always say, wow, people are coming from Bordeaux and Burgundy and everywhere. And then they descend on this little island just, you know, 14 miles long. It has just become a culinary destination, you know, and the charm and the historic cobblestone streets and they just every year. So is it for everyone or is it for industry goers? I mean, can anybody come? Anybody can come. And it really is something for everybody. If you're a wine geek and you, you know, it's the best wines in the world. And it's also incredibly fun. If you're coming just for fun to go to the gala and taste amazing food. We have chefs also from all over New England, the country and actually the world. I was going to say Argentina this year. Oh, that's incredible. So specifically though, with the oysters, we were talking about it pairs really nice with some wines and bubbly, as you were saying. I mean, I know it's a little early, everybody, but we got there. It's not that early, right? So yeah, right. Cheers. But can you, I want to talk about specifically the oysters. He's going to take a sip of wine right here. We're going to even tell me about the oysters. What's going on here? Are you going to shut some for us too? We can shut some oysters for you guys. As Nancy mentioned, some of the best wines in the world are going to be served at the Nantucket Wine and Food Festival. And these are some of the best oysters in the world right here. We've got the world famous Prince Caspian oyster from Duxbury Oyster Company. We are blessed in Duxbury having the best oysters. We've got the best conditions, the salinity, the amount of salt in the water, the temperature of that water, the availability of phytoplankton. Everything comes together in Duxbury to make just the perfect oyster. And they pair terrifically with just about any wine. I was going to ask too, oysters, you think obviously New England. I mean, people come here for our seafood. Is it treated like a luxury still here for us New Englanders, would you say? Or is it like, all right, you know, oysters every here and there, you get it all the time. As a New Englander, it might be a little old hat, you know, for folks, maybe more landlocked. It's more of a luxury, but these things, you know, just like the wines, if you're a connoisseur, if you're a real foodie, you can find the subtle differences from an oyster that was raised and cultivated in Duxbury, as opposed to just down the road in Plymouth or further down the Cape. Same way with the topography of where maybe a wine was cultivated and how you can tell the subtle differences in that as well. Okay, show us how to shuck an oyster in case you're curious. He's the pro over here. And in the meantime, Nancy, what kind of wine goes well with oysters? You're right. There's so many different kinds. And we actually do an oyster seminar where we pair with eight different, eight different wines from sparkling wines to like, you know, a crisp sancerre, to a chablis, to a rosé. We actually are even pairing with a archipelago gin that's from the Philippines. And so it's got so many and it really affects, you still taste the oyster through, but it enhances, it does a little different dance in your mouth when you're tasting it that way. It's a true pairing. One does play with the other. And without further ado, if you'd like to try one of the worst flavors, Nicole, I think you're going to have to do this. Should we all do it together? Oh my goodness. I was asking Gene, actually. I was like, Gene, are you going to try one? And I don't think he's a big oyster guy, which is fine. I actually really do like oysters. If you're not a big oyster fan, come to the Nantucket Food and Wine Festival. We'll make it. This is a big oyster too. Here we go. All right. Cheers. Cheers everybody. That is so good. It's briny. And it should be. That's really, really good. It warms my heart to hear it. Thank you, Nicole. No, it's delicious. We're having it with a little Charles Heidsieck champagne. We do have Bollinger here being celebrated because they are going to be the featured champagne at our James Bond's Bordeaux event. And we actually probably have this year, maybe seven different champagne houses that are going to be the best of the best at the festival, as well as sparkling wines from everywhere. Okay. That is so exciting. So just to kind of wrap it all up, I appreciate kind of the inside and the lesson on chucking oysters. And it tasted really good by the way. This is all taking place May 27th through the 31st. Like I said, it's the end of May when it's happening, but those tickets are already on sale. They're going to go by pretty quickly. It's a fun experience. And if you want to learn about some food and also some wine, be sure to check it out. Can you tell them where? Yes, please tell us. So at nantucketwinefestival.com, you can buy tickets there and just go to NWF 2026 events and choose the events for you. Yeah. We'll have it all on our website, by the way, with this. So all this information, don't worry. Joe and Nancy, thank you for being here. Thank you. Sherry, you might have to try one of these oysters. They're really good. Girl, you've got the most super-sized.