Popular event returns this weekend at Chase Palm Park
Wine enthusiasts will pack the beachside portion of Chase Palm Park in Santa Barbara Saturday for the California Wine Festival. The event also includes a Friday evening session at the park’s Carousel House.
California Wine Festival is returning to Chase Palm Park for two days of coastal tasting events on Friday and Saturday.
Guests will be able to sample tastings from winemaking regions across California, paired with gourmet appetizers from many of Santa Barbara’s top restaurants, while experiencing lifestyle exhibitors, live entertainment and breathtaking seaside vistas.
“We aim to showcase what California is known for — the most picturesque strips of coastline globally and world-class wines,” said Emily Kaufmann, executive director.
Friday evening kicks off at Chase Palm Park’s Carousel House with a “Sunset Rare & Reserve Tasting,” a curated experience for wine connoisseurs. A reception begins the evening of sampling rare and vintage reserve wines and offers tasting room exclusives and limited-production wines from vineyards based in California’s most venerable wine-producing regions.
Six to eight of Santa Barbara County’s top pinot noirs will be featured. Delicious hot and cold appetizers will pair with the world-class wines.
Throughout the evening from 6:30 to 9, guests can participate in a silent auction, bidding on items such as exotic wines, tasting tours and dining certificates. Proceeds from this auction will benefit the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County, whose mission is to end hunger and transform residents’ health through good nutrition.
“It’s been nearly two decades since we founded the California Wine Festival, and it’s great to be back again where it all started,” said Ms. Kaufmann. “Allowing guests to sample world-renowned wines from wineries that they haven’t discovered is our specialty.”
The wine-tasting experience continues Saturday with a Beachside Wine Festival taking place at the oceanside section of Chase Palm Park. Included will be one-on-one conversations and tastings with culinary and wine talent from California’s wineries and local restaurants.
Attendees will have access to hundreds of premium California wines and regional craft brews that will be paired with artisanal cheeses, breads, olive oil, fresh-cut fruit, shellfish, salads, chocolate cakes and more.
The VIP Pavilion, presented by HexClad, will feature six serving stations, showcasing cooking demos and food samples. They will include demos by Chef David Schoen of Knife and Grill, Rice Browns, Chocolate Marshmallow Pizza Co. and Selfie Cork; Domenico’s Foods; The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills; Chef Miguel McDaniel of Seattle-style chicken purveyor, Shine 76; Chef Kim Alter of Nightbird Restaurant; Caroline D’Amore a.k.a. Pizza Girl; and Aquamar Seafood. The VIP Pavilion will also offer a selection of reserve-level wines as well as craft brews.
Unique to Santa Barbara’s festival is the “Best Tri-Tip in the 805” barbecue competition, where guests can vote for the top contender while tasting mouth-watering tri-tip steak samples by talented chefs from top local restaurants.
Yesica Arredondo, executive chef at Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort, will be bringing her Texas roots to the competition. Other restaurant contenders will include The Shift Food Truck and Catering, Solvang Brewing Co., Santa Barbara WoodFire Catering, Convivo, Beans BBQ and Catering, and Lucky Sevens BBQ. Traeger is the official sponsor of this competition.
Notable wineries attending from Santa Barbara, the Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Paso Robles, Temecula and beyond include the Adobe Road Winery, Animo by Michael Mondavi Family, the Austin Hope Winery, the Bernardus Winery, Bonny Doon Vineyard, Brick Barn Wine Estate, Carol Shelton Wines, Cuvaison, Goldschmidt Vineyards, Heavens Hill Estate, J. Wilkes Wines, the Kobler Estate Winery, the Michael Pozzan Winery, Miner Family Wines, Navarro Vineyards, New Zealand Wine Navigator, Rescue Dog Wines, Rombauer Vineyards, Russian River Vineyards, Smith Story Wine Cellars and the Wilson Creek Winery.
Representatives from craft breweries will also be present. Among them are Golden Road Brewing, M.Special Brewing Co. and Rincon Brewery. The event will also boast hard kombucha purveyors including Boochcraft and Flying Embers.
Select sponsors will host interactive activations, which guests will be able to partake in during the Beachside Wine Festival. “Official Auto Sponsor” Toyota will offer guests the ability to learn about the new 2022 Toyota Mirai while creating their own DIY sustainability kit as well as laser-engraving a pretzel to enjoy at the event.
Guests 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.
Live entertainment will include AJ Oliviera, a multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter, and Upstream, a reggae, calypso, soca and steel drum band.
email: mmcmahon@newspress.com
FYI
California Wine Festival is a 21-plus event, set for Friday and Saturday at Chase Palm Park, 323 E. Cabrillo Blvd., Santa Barbara. Tickets are $75 to $119. To purchase, visit www.californiawinefestival.com.
