Yeah, the Food and Wine Festival is a wonderful time to visit Epcot, although I surmise that opening weekend might be a bit more crowded than the middle of the festival (the last weekend is DEFINITELY crowded.) Here's a few tips though:
The longest lines tend to be at Ireland (Guinness, Stew, Corned Beef, Flan), Canada (Salmon, Fudge, Icewine), and Australia (Shrimp, Lamb, Fosters). If there do seem to be long lines on your first day, get there either right at 11am on the next day and walk around to hit those three quickly, then do the others, or wait until around 2:30-4PM when people are between lunch and dinner, and the sun is beating down pretty heavily, for the lines to shorten. France is *sometimes* long, but generally only at the really busy times. The real key is planning, though.
Get a program at the gates (or at your hotel) and check out the food offerings at each kiosk. If there is something that interests you, classify which type of thing that is. All of the permanent countries have places where you can buy beer/wine on its own, and also counter service places where you can get desserts. For example, if you already know you like German knockwurst, there is a stand in the area underneath the clock. And if you like German wines, there is a wine shop on the left of the pavillion, toward the back. That can save a lot of time during the busiest times of the day.
A little bit of planning makes a fun trip even better
