What a fancy way to spend an afternoon, sipping wine and snacking on tasty bites at a 5 star resort on the San Diego coastline. That’s exactly what the California Wine Festival in Carlsbad is all about, an annual event held at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort in Carlsbad every May.

Before I go further here’s the link to get more info on the 2023 California Wine Festival in Carlsbad (North San Diego): Official Site for the Wine and Food Event

OK, so what is this? And is it WORTH IT?

Wine, Food, Music, and Plenty of Space!

With dozens of tents you can spend hours just sampling the various wines - yes, unlimited wine! And if you know me you know that I love good wine and there was plenty there to sip, including Hall Wines from Napa with their incredible cabs

And yes, just to spice things up a bit you can sip some vodka, get a perfect gin and tonic, sip some Belching Beaver beer. Look, if you can’t find something you love to drink then you’re not looking very hard. And unlike some food events where the lines are so outrageously long that your wine buzz is long gone by the time you get to the front the lines here were refreshingly short - find a favorite and just keep going back!

Food Trucks - Yes, it’s Included!

There were great food options scattered around, like big bites of cheese (and butter) from Kerrygold and delicious poki bites from Senor Grubby.

Tasty bites to be sure - but then I found the food trucks! I expected to pull out my credit card but whoa, it was included! Red Oven Pizza was there - incredible wood fired pizzas - along with Belinda’s Taco Truck and The Groovy Greek Food Truck. Belinda’s was handing out street tacos with various fillings (the spicy pork, wow) and cheesy quesadillas that were perfect for one hand snacking. The Groovy Greek Food Truck was handing out full sized greek bowls which were insanely good - I mean, GREAT! I’ve been to plenty of "Tastes of ____” or food festivals where you frankly leave a bit underwhelmed, but these three food options left me plenty satisfied. OK, yes, a bit stuffed but can you blame me?

Is the California Wine Festival Worth it?

With ticket prices (in 2022) starting at $70 per person, yes, absolutely worth it. Look I went to McDonald’s for the first time in over a year and the crappy two cheeseburger combo was nearly $10! A tiny house wine pour at an “order at the counter” restaurant just set me back $12. So for $70 you get all the wine you want, unlimited delicious food, a live band, a great setting, it’s so worth it. Gather up your friends and have an afternoon to remember.

Need more convincing? How about FREE parking (that never happens)?

For those of you wanting to really go all out there’s also a VIP tent with early entry for $45 more, and a Sunset tasting event with rare and reserve wines to go with the main event for $175.