By Sarah Gleim from Forbes

Even if you’re still working off those gluttonous holiday meals, it’s time to start thinking about food and wine again because the winter culinary festival season is in full swing. And who’s complaining? The foodies at Startle.com would love to attend every one of these events—the destinations alone make them worth the trip. But add in the renowned chefs, wineries and incredible culinary classes, and you’ll see why we’re eyeing these 10 hot epicurean events this winter.

Cayman Cookout by Eric Ripert, Grand Cayman, Jan. 17-20
The Cayman Islands are the place to be this weekend to experience the best culinary event in the Caribbean. Startle.com Tastemakers Eric Ripert, José Andrés and Anthony Bourdain, as well as Spike Mendelsohn, Sherry Yard, Paul Bartolotta and others host a series of cooking demonstrations, wine tastings, lunches and dinners at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman. Thursday also features a wine auction dinner by Jacques Scott and chefs of The Ritz-Carlton, where you can snag seats at tables with Ripert, Andrés, Bourdain, Mendelsohn, Daniel Humm or Dale MacKay. Auction proceeds benefit The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman Culinary Arts Scholarship and Cayman HospiceCare.

Boston Wine Festival, Jan. 16-March 29
Executive chef Daniel Bruce has been hosting this wine festival at the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Boston Harbor Hotel for 23 years. The renowned wine series offers an abundance of seminars and dinners spanning three months. The Battle of the Cabernets series—a perennial favorite—will include a distinguished panel of cabernet experts from Napa Valley at two dinners in January. And special wine dinners are still available spotlighting outstanding wineries like Opus One, Cakebread Cellars, Silver Oak Cellars and more.

Lowcountry Oyster Festival, Charleston, Jan. 27
It’s all about the oyster at Charleston’s 30th annual Lowcountry Oyster Festival. Hailed as the world’s largest oyster festival, this annual celebration includes—what else?—both oyster-shucking and oyster-eating contests, live music, and beer and wine. There’s also a children’s area with pony rides and dedicated food court with area restaurants and food trucks serving up their own Lowcountry specialties.

Beaver Creek Food & Wine Weekend, Jan. 24-27
The Rocky Mountains set the backdrop for the Beaver Creek Food & Wine Weekend. Hosted by Top Chef’s Gail Simmons, chef John Besh, and chef, restaurateur and author Sam Talbot, the weekend is jam-packed with events and tastings, including cooking demos with Simmons, an Après-Ski Burgers and Beer class with Tim Love and Spike Mendelsohn from Top Chef, and an Après-Ski Wine Down tasting hosted by vino expert Anthony Giglio.

Taos Winter Wine Festival, Jan. 29-Feb. 2
This will mark the 27th year of this popular wine festival held in the idyllic ski town of Taos (about 70 miles north of Santa Fe). There’s a host of wine seminars (Wines of Spain, Around the World of Syrah) and après-ski tastings, as well as restaurant and winery dinners. But the main event is the Grand Tasting on Saturday, which features more than 150 different wines from 36 wineries and food from a dozen area restaurants.

St. Moritz Gourmet Festival, Jan. 28-Feb. 1
It’s hard to beat this location—the spectacular Swiss village of St. Moritz. The luxe ski town’s five-day festival includes cooking demos, dinners and wine tastings from some of Europe’s best chefs (Massimo Bottura, Cornelia Poletto, Dieter Koschina). In honor of the culinary event’s 20th anniversary, the opening cocktail party will be at the opulent Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains, and special celebrations are also on the bill, including a Gourmet Festival Village of market stands and a Walk of Fame exhibit with photos of past festivals.

Washington D.C. International Wine & Food Festival, Feb. 5-9
There’s more than politics going on in February in the nation’s capital. For five days, the Washington D.C. International Wine & Food Festival hosts wine tastings and food and wine pairings. Check out fun culinary offerings like the second annual Sommelier Showdown, where local sommeliers challenge each other in tasting and identifying wines. Prep your palate for the International Tasting on Thursday evening, which features more than 200 wines from 100 different wineries.

In Celebration of Chocolate Weekend, Kohler, Wis., Feb. 15-16
The Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star American Club in Kohler, Wis., is the only place to be if you’re a bona fide chocoholic. Not only does Kohler make its own chocolate (try the turtle-like terrapins), the resort is hosting its first full-on weekend celebration of the sweet stuff—for years it’s been just a one-night event. Now the two days include a variety of workshops, pairings (how does beer and chocolate sound?) and, of course, plenty of opportunities for eating chocolate. The weekend concludes with a grand tasting experience featuring Kohler original recipe sweets, a fondue station and specialty dishes from the various Kohler restaurants.

South Beach Wine & Food Festival, Feb. 21-24
Startle.com Tastemakers José Andrés, Anthony Bourdain, Todd English, Marcus Samuelsson, Laurent Tourondel and Ming Tsai are just a few of the big names at this year’s 12th annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival. The four-day event includes some of the most renowned wine and spirits producers, chefs and culinary personalities hosting seminars, dinners, workshops and parties. Hit the Grand Tasting Tents to sample some of the best wine and bites of the South Beach weekend.

Charleston Wine + Food Festival, Feb. 28-March 2
Prominent chefs from all over the country, including Startle.com Tastemaker Barbara Lynch, will join beloved local chefs like Craig Diehl and Graham Dailey for the annual Charleston Wine + Food Festival. The event, which celebrates the local food traditions of Charleston, features a variety of seminars, dinners, cooking demos and wine tastings, as well as a Culinary Village and Tasting Tents with more than 80 food and beverage vendors from around the country.

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