The third-annual Lake Oconee Food and Wine Festival is back with even more exciting dining, wine and auction items to enjoy all night long. This year, the long-anticipated festival will be held at The Ritz-Carlton Lodge at Reynolds Plantation and will feature a special Vintner Dinner, as well as the festival. To kick of the weekend, the Vintner Dinner is for those who crave a unique and exquisite dining experience, and is exactly the type of culinary treat wished for. The dinner is a four-course meal perfectly paired with a delightful wine. As if the dining could be matched, the dinner is being held at the Linger Longer Ballroom at 5:30 p.m. March 23. Tickets for the dinner are $200 per person, but have already sold out.

Ted Baker is chair of the committee for the festival this year and is thrilled with the hard work that has gone into making the festival another success.

“There is a group of 10 of us on this committee and I can’t take the credit because they deserve all the credit. This year we are doing something a little differently and selling the tickets completely online. We are really trying to direct people to the website,” Baker said.

This is the festival’s first year for hosting both events at the Ritz-Carlton Lodge.

On Saturday, March 24, from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. the Food and Wine Festival will be held on the Event Lawn and The Forest. The festival will include tastings from Linger Longer Steakhouse, Georgia’s Bistro and Gaby’s by the Lake, as well as more than 100 premium wines. If seduction by food and wine isn’t enough, the festival also includes an extensive silent auction and a live auction full of trips, gifts and experiences.

Some of the auction items include one of the festival’s most popular items: the trip to San Francisco and the Napa Valley Wine Country. This year, a trip to the Ocean Lodge in St. Simons Island with private round-trip airfare from Greenesboro will be auctioned as well. Other experiences of private dining will be sure to go quickly at the live auction.

“We have Tim Cadiere, an artist and musician who is teaming up with the Good Shot Cowboys Cooking Team. Forty people will enjoy dinner while Tim Cadiere plays during the party at your home. Georgia Butts barbeque will cater a dinner while Eric Dodd performs at your home. We also have a gourmet wine dinner for eight and a Farm to Table experience in your own home, which includes dinner for eight, will also be popular items. Da Corrado is hosting a dinner for 10 and Beaver Creek Plantation has donated an overnight quail hunt for four guests. One of our new and exciting items is our trip for two to Portland, Ore. and the Willamette Wine Country. That complements well with our California trip that we’ve always done,” Baker said.

A dinner for 16 guests catered by Matt and Marie Garofalo will also be an item to watch.

The festival is modeled for others across the country, but has quickly become one of the premier events for the lake area.

Tickets for the festival are $60 per person. The Lake Oconee Food and Wine Festival is organized by Gatewood School, and proceeds benefit the school’s academic and enrichment programs.

“The Ritz-Carlton Lodge is our Grand Cru Sponsor this year. We developed a strong partnership last year when then hosted the Vintner Dinner. We continued that partnership this year in order to expand the festival,” Baker said. “Guests can expect the terrific wine from all over and they can expect excellent food prepared by the Ritz-Carolton chefs. They can also expect a fun-filled silent and live auction.”

The festival and Vintner Dinner have sold out both years, and Baker expects the same for this year’s event.

“My favorite part is the exciting live auction. It is the best live auction that our area has. Joel Holcombe is our auctioneer and he was our auctioneer last year.

We are so lucky to be a part of such a generous community that always makes this a fun event.”

Tickets can be purchased online at www.oconeefoodandwine.com.