After a one year hiatus, it’s time to join the party and Arrive at Awesome once again for the San Diego Bay Wine + Food Festival

If the last 20 months or so of lock downs, canceled events, limited socializing, and restricted dining options have left you hungry for celebrating the joys of gastronomy, the 17th San Diego Bay Wine + Food Festival, November 11-14 is just what you need to satisfy your appetite.

Returning Favorites at San Diego Bay Wine + Food Festival

Set in one of California’s most beautiful cities, San Diego Bay Wine + Food Festival garnered the first place title in the 2019 USA Today 10 Best Readers’ Choice travel award contest for Best General Food Festival. Although the festival is somewhat pared down this year, many of the annual favorites will return, including the ever-popular Grand Tasting held on Saturday, November 13, from 12-3 pm at the Embarcadero Marina Park North. At this San Diego Bay Wine + Food Festival highlight event, throngs of participants will stroll through the park, savoring a plethora of tastes from celebrity chefs, restaurants, and gourmet food companies, as well as pours of domestic and international wines, beer and spirits, against the stunning backdrop of San Diego Bay. Cooking demos, chef competitions, and musical entertainment add to the fun.

Are you a wine enthusiast? If so, you’ll definitely want to kick off the weekend at the Grand Decant on Friday, November 12, 6-9 pm at JULEP Venue, 1735 Hancock St. There, you will join top sommeliers, wineries, and winemakers for a walk-around tasting of both domestic and international wines. For both the Grand Tasting and Grand Decant, VIP experiences are available, including early entry and elevated exclusive access to curated wines and tastings.

Also returning to the San Diego Bay Wine + Food Festival is the Taco TKO , presented this year by Hornitos Tequila, and taking place at Liberty Station on Sunday, November 14, noon-3pm. A great time is guaranteed when attendees enjoy an afternoon sipping tequila and beer, while sampling the wares of San Diego’s top taco destinations as they battle it out for the title of San Diego’s Most Awesome Taco! Bulevar Descarga will provide the live musical soundtrack for your dancing and listening pleasure!

Ticket info, including single event and multi day passes here!

San Diego Bay Wine + Food Festival Dinners & More!

Have you been longing to taste the wines and flavors of Baja without having to cross the border? Well then, you’re in luck, because the Baja Fire & Ice Dinner on Wednesday, Nov. 10, has just been added to the San Diego Bay Wine + Food Festival event lineup. Join Chef Flor Franco and Fernando Gaxiola of Baja Wine + Food, as they bring the best of Baja’s culinary excitement to Casa de Flor, from 6-9 pm.. Contributing their talent to the dinner are several renowned Baja chefs, such as noted icon Javier Plascencia and Oryx Capital’s Ruffo Ibarra, Sommelier Lauren Plascencia, Mixologist Valeria Plascencia, and barrel smokemaster Gustav Anders Rooth,  Guests will mingle with the chefs and winemakers while enjoying unlimited servings from dining stations featuring ceviches, the most tantalizing selections of Baja oysters, cheeses, and chacuterie, and fish, vegetables and  meats cooked campestre-style in open fire and smokers. Luscious wines from the Valle de Guadalupe, courtesy of Paoloni and Shedeh wineries will be served to complement and enhance the dinner.  Live Spanish guitar music from David de Alva will entertain in the dessert lounge.  For those so inclined, a cannabis-friendly outdoor area will also be available. Get your tickets here. $185 3334 Fifth Ave.

Maybe a luxurious sit-down dinner is more your style? If so, you’ll have four to choose from on Thursday and Friday, November 11 & 12 (the Chateau Montelena wine luncheon at Mister A’s is already sold out, as is the Wine Dinner at Huntress).

• Verbena Presents: Sustainable Vegetarian Menu+ Low ABV Cocktail Pairing . On Thursday, Nov. 11, from 6-9 pm, experience the intricacies of plant-based dining with Chef Ronnie Schwandt, General Manager/ Mixologist Dallas Juanes , and the talented team at Verbena Kitchen for the festival’s first-ever vegetarian dinner and cocktail pairing. Guests will have the opportunity to learn about and savor the complexities of plant based eating and fermentation in its most delicious forms. The all vegetarian, farm-to-table menu will consist of 5 courses starring local, sustainable, and seasonal ingredients. Each course will be paired with autumn-inspired low ABV spirits showcasing the dramatic evolution of wine-based cocktails. View the menu and order tickets here. $150 3043 University Ave., San Diego

• Sustainable Sexy Seafood Dinner Featuring Cuvaison Wines Also happening on Thursday evening, Nov. 11, 6-8pm, this dinner at Lionfish is a seafood lover’s dream! Chef JoJo Ruiz, honored as a James Beard Smart Catch Leader, will delight guests with his signature creativity through a multi-course sustainably-sourced dining extravaganza. Showcasing the finest seafood caught by local fishermen, as well as other ingredients produced by farmers and aguaculture innovators throughout the San Diego and Baja areas, Chef Ruiz’s cuisine will include stunning seafood towers and whole fish preparations. Wine pairings from Cuvaison Winery, one of Napa Valley’s early pioneering wineries, will accompany each course. Complete menu and ticket info here. $150 435 5^th Avenue, San Diego

• Grand Evening in Barolo, Barbaresco, & the Langhe Giving you one more reason to wish you could clone yourself and be in several places at once, this Grand Wine Dinner is also being held on Thursday, Nov. 11, 6:30-9:30 pm, at Solare Ristorante in Liberty Station. You may be physically in San Diego, but your tastebuds will swear they are in Italy’s Piedmonte area, as you embark on an in-depth exploration of the renowned wines from the Langhe, including the legendary Barolo and Barbaresco wine regions during this 5 course dinner, with each dish pairing beautifully with the wines. Hint: it’s Italian truffle season, so expect to enjoy these delicacies in the excellent Italian cuisine! $225 Tickets here.

• Game On! Louis Latour Wine Dinner Join chefs Suzette Gresham of San Francisco’s two Michelin-starred Acquerello, San Diego culinary icon and Maitre Cuisinier de France Bernard Guillas, and Ranch 45’s talented Aron Schwartz on Friday Nov. 12, 6:30-9:30pm at Ranch 45 Local Provisions. The 6 course “Game Night” dinner and reception will feature exquisite dishes paired with the masterful wines of Louis Latour. See the menu and buy tickets here. $275 512 ia de la Valle, Solana Beach.

Field trip anyone? Join Baja Wine + Food for Expedition: Baja, Thursday, November 11, for a full day and evening excursion to Mexico’s fabled wine region, Baja’s Valle de Guadalupe and its environs. Indulge in a cross border exploration of some of the Baja’s most prestigious wineries, restaurants, and gastronomic experiences, including stops for iconic street food along the way in Tijuana, Rosarito and Ensenada. The all-inclusive expedition includes chauffeured transportation to and from San Diego with on-board sparkling wine service and refreshments, all food & beverages at street food stops, winery tours and tastings, an al fresco dinner, guides, and taxes and gratuities. This annual San Diego Bay Wine + Food Festival favorite fills quickly, and passport and vaccination card are required. See complete itinerary and buy tickets ($400) here.

For those in the trade wishing to become more educated about wines, SommCon will be presenting 2 master classes on Friday, November 12 at JULEP Venue. From 10-11:30 am, Chablis Master Class: A Crystal Clear Expression of Terroir , and from 11:30 am-5pm, a master class in The Diversity of the Wines of Roussillon will be given free of charge to qualified members of the trade. Registration is required and forms are found on the above class links.

Find info and stories on all the talent, venues, events and purpose, as well as tickets and hotel packages, at San Diego Bay Wine + Food Festival. All events are 21+, and ALL ATTENDEES, GUESTS, STAFF, VOLUNTEERS, EXHIBITORS, PERFORMERS, AND SUPPORT CREWS MUST SHOW PROOF OF VACCINATION AGAINST COVID-19 OR SHOW PROOF OF NEGATIVE TEST WITHIN 72 HOURS OF ENTRY.