The Wine and Culture Festival, a multi-day wine festival calling attention to the lack of diversity across various stages of the wine industry, will return to Atlanta for the third time in the event’s five-year history.
Hosted annually by The Hue Society, a global organization advocating for racial inclusion within the industry, Wine and Culture Fest will extend its schedule of events to last a full week for the first time since its inception, offering a list of activities suited for a wide range of wine enthusiasts, from complete beginners to seasoned professionals in the field.
Tahiirah Habibi, founder of The Hue Society and the Wine and Culture Festival, said this year’s event features a diverse span of experiences for guests to get involved in, including educational sessions, mental health and wellness gatherings and other social functions.
“There’s so many different options, and I really wanted to create a full, well-rounded experience, because [the Black community is] not a monolith,” Habibi said. “I just really wanted to try and tap into the incredible culture that we have here in Atlanta and make sure that people at least saw something that they could relate to during the week…”
Some of the event’s most notable activities will take place on the final days of the festival. A masterclass, panel and other learning experiences are scheduled for Friday and Saturday afternoons at the Thompson Hotel. The Hue Society will also host food and wine tasting sessions at Underground Atlanta on Friday and Saturday evenings, which will include a feast featuring different varieties of rice dishes paired with complementing wines on the second day. The festival will wrap up on Sunday with a morning awards show and brunch followed by a rooftop lounge event to close out the week.
Habibi said guests should expect to feel comfortable at the many stages of the festival, regardless of their race, cultural background or experience with wine. The aim of the festival coincides with the mission of The Hue Society: to create a space for Black, brown and Indigenous people to learn about and bond over the intricacies of wine without having to sacrifice aspects of their culture or demeanor to feel accepted.
“There’s no expectation that you need to code-switch or assimilate,” Habibi said. “I just wanted to create luxury experiences for us through our lens, because we deserve that.”
This year’s festival will run from Monday, July 24 through Sunday, July 30. Find the full schedule and individual tickets and bundles for each event on the Wine and Culture Festival’s official website.