While this was only their second annual affair, you would never have known it. Everyone I spoke with on this largest of the three U.S. Virgin islands knew about the festival and seemed to be either involved or attending the dinners, tastings, seminars or other charity events. (Money raised from the event goes to a public school literacy initiative, The St. Croix Foundation.) When you live on an island, the word does get around.

I was a bit shocked to be invited with members of the wine press from Napa, Chicago and New York, but there was a tie-in. One night is reserved for private wine dinners in homes and estates on this picture-perfect tropical island. And this year, two of the chefs were from Atlanta. Kevin Rathbun, owner-chef of Rathbun’s and Gerry Klaskala of Aria joined Rocco Dispirito of TV’s The Restaurant and Robbin Hass of Chispa in Miami. I attended Rathbun’s dinner in a seaside villa on top of a cliff overlooking the British Virgin Islands, and he did us proud—start to finish. I heard equally great reviews from the writer who dined with Klaskala.