It’s time again for the Hawai’i Food & Wine Festival, the true foodie extravaganza that spans six days and three islands. The list of participating chefs is incredible and impressive.

To add to the event’s star power is a list of iconic wine celebrities coming in from different parts of the world, even though it is harvest time for most. I was truly astounded at this year’s lineup.

Arriving all the way from Germany, for example, are Fritz and Agnes Hasselbach. The couple has produced three 100-point wines from their Gunderloch estate vineyard in Nackenheim. 

Also joining them is Johannes Haart, whose Piesporter-grown rieslings are some of the most profound wines produced from Germany. Haart has winemaking in his blood. His father, Theo, was named the 2007 Gault Millau Winemaker of the Year.

Then there’s Paul Fuerst, the 2003 Gault Millau Winemaker of the Year, who undoubtedly produces the country’s finest pinot noirs.  

For me, these folks parallel a baseball lineup of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Jimmy Foxx. 

Two wine industry game changers making appearances this year are Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat in California and Mark Tarlov from Oregon’s Chapter 24.

Clendenen was recently named one of the top three winemakers out of California, in addition to a more than 25-year legacy of accolades for his work.

Tarlov is launching a new pinot noir project in which wine lovers will have an "insider’s scoop" to Chapter 24’s latest top wines. 

On Saturday, the "Hawaiian Airlines Presents Corks & Forks" event (sold out) will feature 20 world-renowned chefs alongside 20 of the finest Napa Valley wine estates.

The list of visitors from Napa includes Colgin, Grace Family, Opus One, Blankiet, Morlet Family, Joseph Phelps, Caymus, Silver Oak and some of my personal favorites, Neyers, Rivers Marie and Behrens & Hitchcock. It’s shaping up to be a night wine fans will not want to miss.

It’s always inspiring when world-class talent comes to Hawaii to share their expertise, and this should be one of the most exciting weeklong culinary experiences in recent history. 

Visit the festival’s website to purchase tickets to any of the wine events being offered. 

Chuck Furuya is a master sommelier and a partner in the DK Restaurants group. Follow his blog at chuckfuruya.com.