California Wine Festival Orange County

February 4, 2013 by Kris

Wine connoisseurs, take note: the California Wine Festival is hitting Orange County April 19-20, at just about an hour’s drive away from the Inland Empire.

The California Wine Fest ival also has an event in Santa Barbara every summer, but their Orange County event is sure to please.

This year’s CWF in Orange County will have two sessions: an evening session on Friday, April 19 at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa, and an afternoon session at Doheny State Beach the next day.

The Friday evening session will see winemakers offering rare and “reserve level bottles” to event attendees. Some of what’s to be sampled at this event are longer in distribution, so it’s your chance to try some exclusive wine tastings from Sonoma, Santa Cruz, and California’s Central Coast while sampling hot and cold appetizers from a variety of chefs. Jazz music will complete the nighttime festivities.

The Saturday afternoon session is CWF’s beachside festival, with brewers, vintners, and restaurants sampling a wide variety of food, wine, beer, and spirits along Doheny State Beach’s grassy, palm-lined grounds in Dana Point. Consider it an afternoon party under the California sun and in the middle of a nice Pacific breeze. The afternoon festival runs from 1pm to 4pm, but early entrance passes will get you in at noon.

Tickets for the California Wine Festival in Orange County are currently on sale. The Friday evening event runs for $99, and tickets for the Saturday afternoon beachside festival run $69 for general admission and $94 for early entrance. Tickets will cost a bit more at the gate.

Proceeds from the event benefit the Doheny State Beach Interpretive Association, a volunteer group sanctioned by the state parks department to support programs and activities at Doheny State Beach.

Here’s a list of participating vintners, and check out the video below that focuses on the 2011 event.