The California Wine Festival sets its roots in Carlsbad on Friday and Saturday, May 20 and 21.
It will be held at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, which is just north of Batiquitos Lagoon, a beautiful setting to be sure, certainly for an upscale (but casual) wine festival.
The events features sample pours from winemaking regions across California, paired with gourmet appetizers from many of North San Diego County’s top restaurants. The event also features lifestyle exhibitors, live entertainment and various wine-related exhibitors.
“It’s exciting to be back at Park Hyatt Aviara after their stunning makeover! The resort provides the perfect setting for enjoying world-renowned wines and small bites underneath the California sunshine,” says Emily Kaufmann, Executive Director, California Wine Festival.
There are two separate events, a Sunset Rare & Reserve Tasting experience on Friday evening and the Beachside Wine Festival on Saturday. each requires a separate ticket.
The Sunset Rare & Reserve Tasting is an intimate experience for wine connoisseurs at the Hyatt’s newly-renovated The Gardens. A sparkling wine reception begins the evening of sampling hard-to-find reserve wines and offers tasting room exclusives and limited-production wines hailing from vineyards based in California’s most distinguished wine producing regions. Park Hyatt Aviara Resort’s Ponto Lago restaurant will be serving hot and cold appetizers to pair with these world-class wines.
There will also be a silent auction with bidding on coveted items such as exotic wines, tasting tours and dining certificates. Proceeds from the auction benefit Golden Rule Charity, an organization dedicated to helping people in the hospitality industry during unexpected hardships.
Saturday’s main event is the Beachside Wine Festival taking place at Park Hyatt Aviara Resort’s Heron Lawn. Hundreds of premium California wines and regional craft brews will be pouring and food includes artisanal cheeses, breads, olive oil, fresh-cut fruit, shellfish, salads, decadent chocolate, cakes and more.
The Pavilion will feature a selection of reserve-level wines as well as craft brews along with special seating just a pitching wedge away from the resort’s award-winning golf course. So instead of saying “fore!,” you will be saying “pour” as in some more.
The wines include samples from California’s best vineyards based in Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Paso Robles, Santa Barbara, Temecula and beyond. Notable wineries attending include: Adobe Road Winery, Alexander Valley Vineyards, Austin Hope Winery, Bernardus Winery, Carol Shelton Wines, Coursey Graves, Cuvaison Estate Wines, Doffo Winery, Dry Creek Vineyard, Family Wineries District, Goldschmidt Vineyards, HALL Napa Valley, Just Enough Wines, Lloyd Cellars, Navarro Vineyards, New Zealand Wine Navigator, Pasmosa, Rescue Dog Wines, Russian River Vineyards, Safu Sake Company, Sojourn Cellars and Wilson Creek Winery.
Restaurants from North San Diego County and beyond will serve exquisite appetizers to accompany the festival’s world-class wine selections and include: Butterfly Brittles, Goufrais Southern California, Mahogany Smoked Meats, SB Craft Jerky, Seven Barrels Olive Oils and Aged Italian Balsamic, Ponto Lago, Señor Grubby’s, and The Miller’s Table.
Icelandic Glacial returns as “Official Water Sponsor” and Lloyd Cellars is the “Official Stage Sponsor.” Further sponsors will include Andy Gump, Bright Cellars, Ketel One Botanicals, Leaf Filter and Ruff n Tuff Turf.
Select sponsors will be hosting interactive activations which people will be able to partake in during the Beachside Wine Festival, including new 2022 Toyota Mirai while creating their very own fully-customizable insulated wine tumbler. They can also stop by the Celebrity Cruises booth to sample Jackson Family Wines and discover new destinations and itineraries that they can explore, as well as enter to win an Alaska cruise for two. Alternatively, in gratitude for the winemakers and winery owners working at the event, “Gold” sponsor, Shopify will be hosting a “Winemaker Oasis” where they can find respite throughout the day to grab food and water.
Live entertainment on Friday feature Kalina & Kiana, a songwriting pop duo that has opened for Justin Bieber and The Bangles. Saturday’s Beachside Wine Festival will feature Upstream, SoCal’s premier live reggae, calypso, soca and steel drum band.
California Wine Festival is a 21+ event. Tickets are available for pre-sale here. For more information, please visit CalifoniaWineFestival.com.
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