FOOD. WINE. COMMUNITY.
Mission Statement – The Des Moines Wine Festival Foundation exists to promote, educate and celebrate the wine industry through wine and culinary partnerships on a local and global scale. Our Wine Festival Foundation enriches the cultural and economic fiber of Greater Des Moines through event-driven advocacy, education and awareness toward arts and culture, and direct funding to support these endeavors.
Winefest is proud to have been a part of the Greater Des Moines area since 2003 and we look forward to our 21st year of celebrating fine food and wine while bettering the community. We hope you’ll join us.
Unique events such as Winefest help to improve our community’s cultural landscape and help to earn Des Moines its national accolades for quality of life. In addition to events throughout the year, Winefest supports our community with an annual donation to Bravo Greater Des Moines, three $2,000 scholarships to 2nd year students at the Iowa Culinary Institute at DMACC and three $1,500 scholarships toward test and travel fees for certification with the Court of Master Sommeliers.
Come raise a glass to that…cheers!
The Des Moines Wine Festival Foundation is a publicly supported 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation and its signature event, Winefest, has grown into one of Des Moines’ most anticipated weekends of the year. Besides supporting the wine and culinary industry, Winefest has raised more than $450,000 for local charities and cultural organizations. We’ve even attracted top names in the culinary world, including people like Carla Hall, Tim Love, Eric Ripert, Lidia Bastianich, Art Smith, Fritz Maytag, Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Doug Frost, who is one of only three people in the world to hold both titles of Master Sommelier and Master of Wine.