Kohler Food & Wine Turns 25: The Pours, the Chefs and the Tickets Still Left

By Reid Ramsay · October 20, 2026 · 5 min read

From a Heitz Cellar vertical marking the Judgment of Paris to a New Glarus beer lunch, here’s what to drink and who to see at Wisconsin’s biggest culinary weekend.

Kohler Food & Wine turns 25 this week. From Thursday, Oct. 22 through Sunday, Oct. 25, the Village of Kohler fills with Food Network names, Master Sommeliers, winemakers and distillers across roughly 80 ticketed experiences. That’s up from about 30 events when the festival started.

Wine leads the program, and the anniversary pours are worth the trip on their own. But the 2026 lineup runs deeper than most people expect, with a New Glarus beer lunch, a chef-and-brewer brothers track, and five American whiskey/bourbon sessions. Here’s the guide.

The Wine

Judgment of Paris at 50. Fifty years after California wines beat France in the famous 1976 blind tasting, Kohler is marking the anniversary twice. The $500 Judgment of Paris dinner at Whistling Straits sold out. The Heitz Cellar Martha’s Vineyard tasting (Sat., 1–2pm, $310) is still on sale: Master Sommelier Erik Elliott pours five vintages of the Cabernet side by side — 2006, 2009, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Bobby Stuckey everywhere. The Master Sommelier behind Boulder’s Frasca Hospitality Group is the weekend’s wine anchor. He joins Scott Conant’s opening demo, leads the Wine Lunch with BelGioioso Cheese (Sat., noon–2pm, $135, on sale) and co-hosts the 25th Anniversary Dinner with Stephanie Izard.

The Wisconsin homecoming. Racine native Chris Berg makes Oregon pinot at Roots Wine Co. in Yamhill-Carlton, including bottlings called “Racine” and “Sheboygandy.” Both of his dinners sold out.

Big bottles still available. Hundred Acre’s four-Cabernet tasting ($540) is the most expensive ticket on the schedule. Silver Oak library wines ($200) and Shafer ($145) are also on sale, along with the Riedel glass seminar (Sat., 10:30am, $185), where the glasses go home with you.

Taste of the Vine, Friday night at the Kohler Design Center with 30-plus wineries and 90-plus wines, is available only through packages.

The Beer

Beer Lunch with New Glarus — Sat., Oct. 24, noon–2pm, Blackwolf Run. $115, on sale.
For beer drinkers, this is gold. Blackwolf Run chef Stephanie Van Oss cooks three courses paired with four New Glarus beers. The beers haven’t been announced, which only adds to the anticipation. The lunch is led by Ben Geisthardt, who has been with New Glarus since 2010 and serves on the Brewers Association’s Draught Beer Quality Subcommittee. A beer pour expert leading an event with one of America’s best craft breweries is a don’t miss.

New Glarus needs little introduction in Wisconsin. Deb Carey founded it in 1993, and the brewery calls her the first woman to found and operate a brewery in the U.S. Today it’s employee-owned and brews around 230,000 barrels a year. Outside the state, a sit-down lunch built around New Glarus is rare.

Dan and Mike Jacobs — Fri., Oct. 23.
Dan Jacobs is Milwaukee’s home-team star: chef and co-owner of DanDan, Top Chef Wisconsin runner-up and James Beard Award semifinalist. His brother Mike is head brewer at Goose Island’s Salt Shed Pub in Chicago. They’ve teamed up before, and this weekend they share a demo stage. Cumin lamb pelmeni with chili crisp, herbs and labneh runs 2:30–3:30pm on the Culinary Stage ($85, on sale). Their four-course dinner at Blackwolf Run that night sold out.

The Food & Wine Village — Fri.–Sat., 11am–6pm. $40.
This is the best value at the festival. A Village pass gets you four full-size drinks from more than 14 brands, including Duckhorn, Tito’s and Four Roses, along with a beer garden. Badges are shareable, so two people can split one.

The Bourbon (and Friends)

A wine festival with five American whiskey sessions on the schedule:

Spirit Lunch with J. Henry & Sons and Chris Schemm — Fri., noon–2pm, $125. This is Wisconsin grain-to-glass. The Dane farm distillery makes its bourbon from a 1939 UW heirloom red corn, grown by a family that’s farmed seed corn since 1946.
Bardstown Bourbon Company with master blender Dan Callaway — Fri., 12:30pm, $80.
Weller, including William Larue Weller — Sat., 2–3pm, $120. Here’s a chance to taste the hardest-to-find whiskey on the schedule.
Willett — Sat., 2–3pm, $90.
Buffalo Trace — Fri., sold out.

There’s also a fair amount for cocktail people: Martinis & Caviar with St. George Gin (Fri., 4:30pm, $90), A Toast to Tiki (Fri. and Sat., 4pm, $50), Planteray Rum (Fri., 11am, $70) and additive-free Cazcanes Tequila (Sat., 2:30pm, $95).

The Chefs

The marquee is stacked. Tyler Florence’s dry-aged tomahawk demo on Friday sold out, but his California Fried Chicken demo Saturday at 10am is still on sale ($100). Scott Conant opens the festival Thursday at 2pm with ricotta gnocchi alongside Bobby Stuckey ($80). Alex Guarnaschelli and Melissa King, whose new memoir came out Oct. 6, each have two demos, all on sale. Stephanie Izard’s masa demo sold out. She headlines the 25th Anniversary Wine Dinner Saturday night, which is available only through a package.

Free Pours and Late Nights

You don’t need a ticket for everything:

Woodlake Market pours complimentary beverage tastings Friday and Saturday, 11am–4pm.
At the Kohler Waters Spa Recovery Lounge, James Beard-nominated Door County restaurateur Mike Holmes offers free mocktail and cocktail samples during the same hours.
The Horse & Plow stays open late both nights, 9pm to midnight, with live music and a late-night menu.

Know Before You Go

21 and over, except Thursday’s $15 Kohler Chef’s Challenge.
Cashless, and all tickets are non-refundable.
Parking is free but limited because of construction at The Shops at Woodlake. A free shuttle loops the Village every 15 minutes or less, 9:30am–7pm.
Dress is resort casual by day and resort chic at night. Much of the Village is outdoors, and it’s Wisconsin in late October.
Ticket status above is as of Monday, Oct. 19. Sessions are selling out, so check the official schedule before you drive up.

Kohler is an hour north of Milwaukee and about two and a half hours from Chicago. Beer Street Journal will be around Kohler all weekend. Follow along on Instagram at @beerstreetjournal.