California Wine Festival Returns to Dana Point – April 22-23

California Wine Festival returns to one of Orange County’s most beautiful coastal cities, Dana Point for two days of oceanfront tasting events on Friday, April 22nd and Saturday, April 23rd.  The quintessential California wine tasting experience – sun, sea, food, wine and music – all come together at Saturday’s Beachside Wine Festival, held at the new location of Sea Terrace Park.

Overlooking the glimmering Pacific Ocean at a new location of the Ritz Carlton, Laguna Niguel, Friday evening kicks off with a Sunset Rare & Reserve Tasting, an intimate experience for dedicated wine lovers. A sparkling wine reception begins the evening of sampling hard-to-find trophy wines and offers tasting room exclusives and limited-production wines hailing from vineyards based in California’s most illustrious wine producing regions.

Throughout Friday evening, guests will have the ability to partake in a silent auction, bidding on coveted items such as exotic wines, tasting tours and dining certificates. Proceeds from this auction will benefit Sandy Feet Initiative, an organization dedicated to recognizing and supporting siblings of children with special needs, through instructional and safe beach days. The festival itself will also benefit The Surfrider Foundation of South Orange County, whose mission is dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s ocean, waves and beaches for all.

The quintessential wine tasting experience continues with a Beachside Wine Festival taking place at Sea Terrace Park on Saturday April 23. The sun-splashed afternoon event will facilitate culinary education and exploration through one-on-one conversations and tastings with culinary and wine talent hailing from California’s top wineries and local restaurants. Attendees will have access to hundreds of premium California wines and regional craft brews. Exquisite wines can be paired with artisanal cheeses, breads, olive oil, fresh-cut fruit, shellfish, salads, decadent chocolate, cakes and more. 

The epicurean festival shines a light on rare and reserve vintages, as well as popular pours from California’s best vineyards based in Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Paso Robles, Santa Barbara, Temecula and more. . Notable wineries attending include: Adobe Road Winery, Austin Hope Winery, Barlow Vineyards, Bernardus Winery, Carol Shelton Wines, Cuvaison Estate Wines, Ehret Winery, Frisby Cellars Winery, Goldschmidt Vineyards, Lloyd Cellars, Navarro Vineyards, Prager Winery & Port Works, Russian River Vineyards and Sojourn Cellars.

Gourmet food purveyors from South Orange County and beyond will serve delectable appetizers to accompany the festival’s world-class wine selections and include: Beachfire Bar & Grill, Brio Tuscany Grille, Gino Angelini Authentic Italian Sauces, Goufrais Southern CA, Kerrygold USA, Gemmell’s Restaurant, Mahogany Smoked Meat, Mozambique, Skyloft Laguna Beach, Waterman’s Harbor, Trevor’s at the Track, Schwack Beach Bar & Grill and Shuck Brothers.

Live entertainment will provide the ultimate soundtrack to an idyllic weekend enjoying coastal California vistas. Friday’s Sunset Rare & Reserve Tasting will feature live entertainment from 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. For more information, please visit CalifoniaWineFestival.com. 

Images courtesy of California Wine Festival