Don't miss the 13th Annual International Wine & Food Festival

Returning this year with 600+ wines, exciting cooking demos from DC's top culinary stars and a lively cocktail kick-off competition, the 13th Annual Washington DC International Wine & Food Festival (IWFF) will celebrate the world of wine, food and culture on February 11 - 12, 2012 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in downtown Washington, DC. IWFF Attendees will be able to taste the best of the world's food and drink right here in the acclaimed foodie destination of Washington, DC - with 600+ rare and loved wines from 100 wineries, foods from artisanal producers around the world and DC's best restaurants, tastings of unique spirits and more.

Cupid's Not Stupid, Cocktails to Fall For - February 10: Kicking off the highly anticipated weekend of wine, food and fun is a friendly Valentine's Day-themed cocktail competition featuring five of DC's top mixologists on Friday, February 10th from 7-10pm at Aria Pizzeria in the Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center. Local drink masters Gina Chersevani of PS7's, Rachel Sergi of Jack Rose, Dennis Burns of the Ronald Reagan Building, Simo Ahmadi of Todd Gray's Watershed and Alex Bookless of The Passenger will each create special cocktails that represent cupid's magic spell. Cocktail pro Dan Searing of Room 11 will also be signing his new book, The Punch Bowl: 75 Recipes Spanning Four Centuries of Wanton Revelry.Admission includes samples of all five cocktails, wine, beer and light snacks, and tickets can be purchased for $55 at www.wineandfooddc.com.

The Grand Tasting

Wines of the world and the variety of fare that goes along with them is the theme of this premier festival in our Nation's Capital. At the IWFF Grand Tasting on February 11^th & 12^th, over 600 rare, unique and loved wines will be available for tasting from 100 wineries from around the world. All guests at the Grand Tasting will receive an etched Washington, DC International Wine & Food Festival wine glass and have the opportunity to speak directly with winemakers while enjoying and learning about a wide variety of wines.

Mixology and Spirits Tastings

Spirits will be savored at the Festival with exciting new mixology booths where guests can sample taste, touch and smell the newest ingredients in mixology, sample unique spirits and catch libation lessons by DC's most buzzworthy mixologists.

Artisanal Foods & Hearty Fare

With an array of foods from artisanal producers to DC's best restaurants the Festival fare will please foodies and share fun food finds. At the Artisan Row, artisanal food producers from the region and around the world such as The Wild Pea, Copper Pot Food Company and Cabot Creamery Collective will be sharing their foods. From olive oil producers to new chocolate makers and coffee roasters, the Festival will showcase a variety of unique foods. For hungry Festival attendees, DC restaurants such as Jack Rose Dining Saloon, Taberna del Alabardero, Aria and more will be providing hearty, savory dishes at Restaurant Row where guests can sample the flavor of DC's best. For a more in-depth focus on food, DC's top toques will take center stage with cooking demonstrations in a Viking Range demo kitchen on the Washington Post Grand Stage.

Tickets for the IWFF are available online at www.wineandfooddc.com. The ticket price is $85 for Saturday admission, $80 for Sunday admission or $145 for both days. The ticket price includes an etched IWFF wine glass, unlimited wine tastings, food from DC's best restaurants in the IWFF Restaurant Row, tastings of foods from artisanal producers and cooking demos from DC's best chefs on the Washington Post Grand stage. The IWFF is open from 2pm - 6pm on February 11^th and 12^th and offers industry only hours from noon-2pm on the same days.