2023 California Wine Festival Guide

2023 is here, and we’re already circling dates on the calendar and purchasing tickets to our favorite California wine festivals. Wine festivals are a great way to taste hundreds of wines in one place, talk to the producer, and spend a day under the sun or stars sipping wine and socializing with other wine lovers.

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Garagiste Wine Festival

The Garagiste Wine Festival is a favorite with wine lovers who need a break from overproduced wines and those wineries that push out tens of thousands of bottles a year. Attending the Garagiste Festival is one of the best ways to learn about new and upcoming producers and discover those ultra-premium, hard-to-find boutique producers who have absolutely no desire to push out thousands of cases a year. These guys and gals are just in it for their love of wine.

The Garagiste Festival travels up and down California, with stops in Solvang, Sonoma, Paso Robles, and L.A.

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What you need to know:

  • Wineries must produce fewer than 1,500 cases a year
  • Relaxed, casual atmosphere 
  • The winemakers and owners are the ones pouring the wine – no regional sales reps
  • Limited ticket sales = no lines or producers running out of wine
  • The average bottle price is around $45

Dates & Location

  • February 10 & 11 – Solvang
  • April 29 – Sonoma
  • June 17 – Glendale, CA (L.A.)
  • November 10 & 11 – Paso Robles

21st Annual World of Pinot Noir

The wineries attending the 21st Annual World of Pinot Noir are pretty stellar. You will find premium, low-production labels like Cobb Wines, Ernest Vineyards, Hibou, Sandhi, and Red Car, and name brand “luxury” labels like Kosta Brown, Sea Smoke, and Williams Selyem. And wine club favorites like Copain, Artesa, Belle Glos, and Evening Land.

This pinot noir wine festival has something for every style of pinot noir drinker. This year’s event will be held at the Ritz Carlton in Santa Barbara and features seminars, lunches, winemaker dinners, and tastings.

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What you need to know:

  • This event is a little pricey. The All Access VIP Passport is $1925 per person.
  • Seminars are priced between $125-$150
  • Lunches & dinners range from $150-$275
  • The Grand Tastings are held Friday and Saturday nights and are $190 each.

Dates & Location

  • March 2-4, Ritz Carlton, Bacara, Santa Barbara

California Wine Festival

The first thing you need to know about the California Wine Festival is that it draws a lot of people. We attended the event in Huntington Beach, and we’re not exaggerating when we tell you that several thousand people were there. The festival is a popular draw with folks who are looking for something fun to do on a sunny, Southern California weekend and others who are more into trying new wines. In addition to the wine, food is a big focus, and they have some nice live music, so you can really make a day out of this festival.

If crowds aren’t your thing, we just recommend attending the Sunset Rare & Reserve Wine Tasting the night before the festival begins. You’ll get much more facetime with the producers, and you won’t be at risk of not being able to sample because the brand ran out of wine.

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What you need to know:

  • A busy festival that draws a big crowd
  • Lots of great artisanal food vendors
  • Draws a nice mix of small, medium, and large-sized wineries 
  • Fairly priced at $45-$190 per person

Dates & Locations

  • Dana Point, April 14-15
  • Carlsbad, June 23-24
  • Santa Barbara, July 14-15
  • Huntington Beach, November 10-11

24th Annual Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Festival

This wine festival features three full days of celebrating Anderson Valley’s ethereal pinot noirs. While the primary focus of the Annual Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Festival are the AV’s homegrown Pinot Noirs, producers who source from the Valley also attend. With names like Cakebread, Littorai, Reeve Wines, Cobb, Kosta Brown, and Siduri, this California wine festival is quite the draw.

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What you need to know:

  • 50+ wineries
  • VIP Bubble Lounge sponsored by Roederer Estates
  • $75-$350 per person
  • Silent auction
  • Grand Tasting takes place Saturday, May 20, at Scharffenberger Cellars.
  • Visit the winery open houses on Sunday, May 21

Date & Location

  • May 19-21, Scharffenberger Cellars

Palm Desert Food & Wine Festival

The Aspen Food & Wine Festival is the creme de la creme of culinary festivals, with the Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival a close second. But with the PB Food & Wine Fest on an extended hiatus – the event hasn’t been held since 2019, and there’s nothing on the books for 2023, the Palm Desert Food & Wine Festival looks to be picking up the mantle for California wine lovers.

This festival draws a who’s who of wineries. The 2023 list of winery attendees features Cuvaison, Bennett Valley Cellars, Clif Family Winery, Grgich Cellars, and Wrath. On the food side, celebrity chefs Tyler Florence, Curtis Stone, and Jamie Gwen, just to name a few, host seminars, luncheons, and chef dinners. 

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What you need to know:

  • Guests must purchase tickets for each event, with prices ranging from $75 – $250; the Grand Tasting is $150
  • 10+ events 
  • Celebrity chef dinners sell out very quickly
  • 60+ premium wine producers 

Date & Location

  • March 24-26, Agua Caliente Casino in Palm Desert
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