Three opulent turn-of-the-century homes provide the magnificent setting for the 8th Annual Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival  - fast becoming one of the most anticipated foodie events on the US East Coast.

The spectacular festival takes place from Friday 20th- Sunday 22nd September and is based in three of the famed Newport Mansions in the New England state of Rhode Island, the smallest state in the US.

These 11 historic mansions, several of which are National Historic Landmarks, are remarkable monuments to America's famed 'Gilded Age' which stretched from around 1870 until the early 1900s.  The Newport Mansions were built during a time of burgeoning wealth, along a breathtaking stretch of Rhode Island coastline as the "money-no-object" summer homes of multi-millionaire industrialists.  The mansions are now owned and maintained by The Preservation Society of Newport County and open for public tours.

Marble House, which plays host to a spectacular two-day Grand Tasting during the Festival, was the 'summer cottage' of Mr & Mrs William K Vanderbilt, part of the famous Vanderbilt dynasty which built its fortune on steamships and railroads. On September 21st and 22nd, Marble House will welcome suppliers of hundreds of superb wines, tasty choices from more than two dozen restaurants and food exhibitors, and free cooking demonstrations by celebrity chefs.  Admission to either of the Grand Tasting days costs $125 per person.

On September 20th Rosecliff will be the venue for a gala evening pairing special vintage wines with gourmet food and music. Commissioned by Nevada silver heiress Theresa Fair Oelrichs and completed in 1902, Rosecliff was the site of fabulous society parties, including one famous occasion on which Harry Houdini himself provided the entertainment!  Advance purchase tickets to the 'Wine & Rosecliff' event are priced at $190 per person.

For serious wine connoisseurs, the highlight will be the Collectible Wine Dinner at The Elms on the evening of September 21st. A maximum of 60 guests will enjoy this exclusive event pairing gourmet dining with wines hand-selected by Michael Greenlee, the Festival's Director of Wines, with the chance to speak directly with a stellar group of winemakers. The summer residence of Pennsylvania coal magnate Edward Berwind, The Elms is modelled after an 18th-century French chateau and was completed in 1901 at a cost of approximately £1.4 million. Advance purchase tickets for the Collectable Wine Dinner are rather more affordable, at $450 per person.

The Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival also includes a chance to discover the world's best wine-producing regions in one place via a series of seminars hosted by wine industry experts ($40 admission per person).

For wine lovers who want to experience all of the Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival activities for a remarkable three-day experience, an all-inclusive ticket package is available at $795 per person.

Newport, Rhode Island, is approximately 70 miles from New England's primary gateway city of Boston, Massachusetts.

Want to visit the Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival for yourself? America As You Like It (www.americaasyoulikeit.com, 020 8742 8299) has a 10-night 'Southern New England' self-drive from £1,295 per person, featuring two nights in Newport, Rhode Island, during the festival, two nights in Boston, two nights in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, one night in Connecticut's breathtaking Litchfield Hills, one night in Mystic on the Connecticut coast and two nights in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The price is based on two people sharing and includes return flights from London Heathrow to Boston with Delta Airlines, room-only accommodation throughout and nine days' fully inclusive car hire.

For further information on New England, visit www.discovernewengland.co.uk  

-Ends-

Issued by the Discover New England UK Press Office.

Editor's Note:

Discover New England represents the six American states of Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont to promote international visitation. 

For more information and/or high resolution images please contact: David Ezra at KBC PR & Marketing on 01825 763636 or email david.ezra@kbc-pr.com.