Gstaad Will Debut a Luxury Wine and Food Festival in June 2027

A new wine and food festival is set to debut in Gstaad, Switzerland, next summer, with organizer Sacha Lichine planning a four-day program that will bring together prominent chefs, wine producers and hospitality groups in the Alpine resort from June 24 through June 27, 2027.

The event, called the Gstaad Wine & Food Festival, was announced Thursday by Lichine, the founder of Château d'Esclans and the Whispering Angel rosé brand. Organizers said the festival is being conceived and led by Lichine, with advice from Lee Brian Schrager, the founder of the New York City and South Beach Wine & Food festivals, along with other figures from the food, wine and restaurant industries.

According to the announcement, the inaugural edition will be spread across hotels, restaurants, private chalets and mountain locations in and around Gstaad. The program is expected to include wine tastings, master classes, chef-led dinners, Champagne lunches, cocktail events and private gatherings. Organizers said Le Grand Bellevue will serve as the host hotel.

The first group of confirmed participants reflects the luxury focus of the event. On the culinary side, organizers named Alain Ducasse, Cédric Grolet, Virgilio Martínez and Santiago Lastra among the chefs expected to take part. The broader chef roster released this week also includes Amaury Bouhours, Emmanuel Renaut, Daniel Rose, Gastón Acurio, Pía León, Marc Vetri, Nieves Barragán, Franck Giovannini, Benoît Carcenat, Olivier Isaac, Isaac McHale, Olivier Jean, Simone Caponnetto and Andrés Arocena.

The wine program is also being positioned at the high end of the market. Organizers said producers already confirmed include Château Cheval Blanc, Château d'Yquem, Château Palmer and Dom Pérignon. Other names listed in the announcement include Domaine des Lambrays, Château Pontet-Canet, Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, Frescobaldi, Maison Ruinart, Moët & Chandon, Château Haut-Bailly, Château Talbot, Château Cos d'Estournel, Klein Constantia, Tokaj-Hétszőlő, Bodega Colomé and Delaire Graff Estate, among others. The festival said more wineries and estates are still in discussion.

The schedule released with the announcement remains provisional, but it offers a clear picture of the event organizers are building. The opening on Thursday, June 24, is planned as a "Best of the Best" grand opening followed by an after-dinner party. Friday's preliminary program includes a rosé lunch, a Swiss lunch, Burgundy and Swiss wine master classes, a cheese and raclette session, an Italian master class, an Alpine aperitivo and cocktails event, a Swiss tasting party, regional dinners focused on Bordeaux and Italy, and a late-night cigars and spirits gathering. Saturday is expected to feature a Champagne lunch, an Alpine fondue lunch, additional wine master classes, a chocolate session, a cooking event with a celebrity chef, a cocktail class featuring Rosaluna Mezcal, dinners centered on Burgundy and wines of the world, a mountain dinner and a concert. The festival is scheduled to close Sunday with a brunch party on the mountain.

Lichine said the aim is to create an international gathering built around food, wine and place. In a statement distributed with the announcement, he said some of the most memorable moments in those industries happen when leading people meet in a strong destination, and that Gstaad offers that setting. The resort has long been known as an upscale mountain destination, and the organizers are clearly trying to use that reputation as part of the festival's appeal.

The event is also being developed as a collaboration with local hospitality businesses. In addition to Le Grand Bellevue, organizers said participating venues are expected to include Gstaad Palace, The Alpina, Le Grand Chalet, Olden Hotel, Rialto and Club de Luge, as well as a festival tent and private chalets. The announcement also named Four Seasons among the participating properties.

The advisory group assembled around the festival points to an effort to create a long-term international event rather than a one-time gathering. Along with Schrager, the team includes culinary strategist Terry Zarikian, food writer Édouard Amoiel, wine expert Paul Chevalier and restaurant creator Jean-Marc Fanara, according to organizers. Their role, the festival said, is to help shape programming and connect the event with chefs, wineries and hospitality partners from Europe, the United States, Latin America, Australia and South Africa.

Organizers said a portion of net proceeds will go to a scholarship fund for emerging hospitality professionals. No financial target or scholarship structure was announced, and no ticket prices were released. Tickets are expected to go on sale in early 2027.

The launch of the Gstaad event comes as destination-based food and wine festivals continue to compete for affluent travelers by mixing culinary access with resort experiences. By linking major restaurant names with top wine labels and private settings in the Swiss Alps, the organizers are trying to position the festival in the same premium space occupied by established events in cities and resort markets.

For now, much of the festival remains in development, including final programming and additional guest announcements. But with a fixed June 2027 date, a host hotel in place and an early roster of recognized chefs and producers, the project is moving forward as one of the more ambitious new entries on next year's international food and wine calendar.