Sarasota's biggest annual food-and-wine celebration is turning 20, and organizers are marking the milestone with five days of winemaker dinners, tastings, and a Grand Tasting expected to draw as many as 1,800 guests to the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. Forks & Corks returns to Sarasota and Manatee counties January 21 through 25, 2027, with proceeds again going toward promoting and sustaining the region's independent restaurants.
The festival was launched in 2008 by Sarasota-Manatee Originals, a merchant alliance that now represents more than 70 locally owned independent restaurants, according to The Suncoast Post. The organization's roots go back even further than the festival itself: SRQ Magazine reports the group was founded in 2003 by Michael Klauber of Michael's On East and seven fellow restaurateurs who banded together to protect independent dining spots as national chains moved into the area, modeling their coalition on the Tucson Originals. What started as eight restaurants has since grown into the more than 70-member network now behind the festival.
Leading that network today is Marc Grimaud, proprietor of Café Gabbiano on Siesta Key, who serves as president of Sarasota-Manatee Originals and co-chairs Forks & Corks, per SRQ Daily. The organization has also leaned on the phrase “eat like a local” as its rallying cry for steering diners toward independently owned restaurants over chains, the Suncoast Post notes.
What's on the 2027 Calendar
The 2027 lineup is expected to include winemaker dinners, retail tastings, university master classes, an online auction, a trade tasting, and the flagship Grand Tasting, according to the Suncoast Post's reporting. Retail tasting events are planned for January 22 and 23 at selected wine stores and retail locations across Sarasota and Manatee counties, giving casual wine drinkers a lower-key entry point before the bigger ticketed events.
Forks & Corks University master classes are scheduled for January 23 at Michael's On East and Michael's Wine Cellar in Sarasota, bringing together winery owners, winemakers, and wine-industry professionals for seminars that typically accommodate 50 to 75 wine enthusiasts. Michael's On East, co-owned by Sarasota-Manatee Originals co-founder Michael Klauber, holds the distinction of being Sarasota's only AAA Four Diamond Award restaurant and carries a long-running Best of Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator. Official festival guidelines have previously specified that each 90-minute master class pairs 12 wine tastings with curated light bites for a strictly capped group of 65 attendees, hosted in the ballroom at Michael's On East.
Grand Tasting Returns to the Ringling
The Grand Tasting will take place January 24 at the Ringling Museum of Art, featuring signature dishes from more than 40 Sarasota-Manatee Originals restaurants alongside roughly 100 food-and-wine vendors and more than 350 wines from around the world. The 2026 festival's participating wineries spanned California, Oregon, Washington, New York, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Argentina, and South Africa, and those wineries generated more than $200,000 in wine sales during last year's event, per the Suncoast Post.
Admission to the Grand Tasting is staggered by ticket tier: VIP entry begins at 11 a.m., early access starts at 11:15 a.m., and general admission opens at noon. The event typically features live music and a wine retail tent, and it has a history of selling out quickly. That demand tracks with what Sarasota Magazine has documented in past years, noting that general admission tickets have historically sold out within minutes of release, with one prior festival selling out in just two minutes — a pattern that has pushed organizers to split VIP and general admission sales across separate presale windows.
The festival wasn't always held in January. Sarasota Magazine also reported that organizers permanently shifted the multi-day event from late spring to late January starting in 2024, following attendee survey feedback and popular demand; festival leaders said at the time that the move helped avoid severe Florida afternoon heat during the outdoor courtyard tastings. The Ringling Museum itself adds historical weight to the setting — the 66-acre waterfront estate on Sarasota Bay was built in the late 1920s by circus magnate John Ringling and his wife Mable, and its central courtyard is decorated with bronze replicas of classical sculptures, including Michelangelo's David, according to background compiled by CBK Catering & Events.
Trade Tasting and Online Auction
A day after the Grand Tasting, the Forks & Corks Trade Tasting is set for January 25 across Sarasota and Manatee counties, reserved for qualified hospitality-industry professionals. Eligible attendees must show proof of hospitality-industry employment and a valid photo ID, and the event is expected to welcome approximately 500 vetted attendees from within a roughly 200-mile radius.
An online food-and-wine auction is preliminarily scheduled for January 18 through 24, with participants asked to donate items valued at a minimum of $500. Bidders must be at least 21 years old to bid on packages containing wine or alcohol, per the Suncoast Post's reporting.
A Wine-Judging Tradition Dating to 2013
Forks & Corks also runs a professional wine-judging program that recognizes the highest-scoring red and white wines with gold, silver, and bronze medals. The program was introduced in 2013 and was originally established to evaluate and award wines, including a Best in Show title, across international categories ahead of the public tastings, according to a 2013 report from Your Observer, which noted that participating winemakers send samples ahead of time for blind judging by industry professionals.
The festival's reputation has also earned it recognition beyond the wine world. Sarasota Magazine's Best of Sarasota competition selected Forks & Corks as a finalist in the Best Festival category, with supporters able to vote through July 31, 2026, and winners set to be announced October 14, 2026.
A Growing Footprint Beyond January
Sarasota-Manatee Originals hasn't limited its culinary programming to the January festival. In May 2026, SRQ Magazine reported the organization launched the Originals Culinary Tour, a curated food-and-wine trolley experience taking guests on progressive tasting tours across five member restaurants, with rotating stops in coastal areas including Venice, Siesta Key, Bradenton, and Anna Maria Island.
The group has also built in a free-admission option for residents who don't land Grand Tasting tickets. The Bay Sarasota reported that Sarasota-Manatee Originals partnered with the 53-acre municipal waterfront park to host Taste of the Bay, a public food festival featuring signature dishes from member restaurants alongside live local music, with food tickets sold in low-cost increments to encourage broad participation. Between the trolley tours, the free waterfront festival, and the flagship January event, the organization has spent two decades building out ways for both connoisseurs and casual diners to support Sarasota-area restaurants that remain, as Forks & Corks describes itself, sarasota-manatee originals' largest annual event and fundraiser.
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