By late afternoon, the sun drops low over the Huntington Beach coast, gilding the horizon in gold as glasses clink and waves crash in rhythm. The California Wine Festival returns October 17–18 to the Paséa Hotel & Spa, bringing two days of ocean air, live music, and some of the state’s most celebrated pours. It’s not just a tasting—it’s a ritual, one that captures California’s coastal essence in a single weekend.
For over twenty years, the festival has traveled the coast—from Santa Barbara to Carlsbad—curating immersive celebrations of wine, food, and seaside culture. Its Huntington Beach edition, the grand finale of the year, turns the Paséa’s oceanfront lawn into a playground of wineries, chefs, and makers. Beneath palm shadows and soft Pacific breezes, hundreds of California varietals are uncorked beside culinary creations from Shorebird, Cucina Alessa, Duke’s Huntington Beach, and Heirloom a Modern Farmhouse. Each bite feels like it belongs to the coastline—bright, clean, and full of sun.
A Weekend of Wine, Waves, and Warm Light
Friday night’s Sunset Rare & Reserve Tasting is the connoisseur’s heart of the festival—an elegant preview limited to select wineries pouring their finest vintages, complemented by artisanal bites and oceanfront views that stretch forever. Guests wander between stations, glasses gleaming with deep reds and shimmering whites, as musicians Adam Lasherand John Dean layer the evening in sound. A silent auction benefits the Sandy Feet Initiative, connecting indulgence with impact—an echo of the festival’s coastal ethos of community and care.
Saturday’s Beachside Wine Festival expands the energy into a full-scale oceanfront affair, where laughter hums louder than the surf. The lawn becomes a sea of tents and tasting stations—hundreds of wines from boutique vineyards to iconic California houses, plus craft beers, spirits, and gourmet offerings. Under the Huntington Beach sky, the festival feels less like an event and more like a state of mind—carefree, sensory, endlessly Californian.
The Party Doesn’t End at Sunset
As the final toasts fade, the celebration continues with an official after-party at Old Crow Smokehouse in Pacific City—where smoky bourbon, live music, and slow-cooked Southern fare stretch the night into something wilder. It’s the kind of weekend that stays with you: the salt in your hair, the hum of guitars, the taste of a perfect pinot that somehow feels like the Pacific itself.
Visit the California Wine Festival – Huntington Beach
📍 Paséa Hotel & Spa – 21080 Pacific Coast Hwy, Huntington Beach, CA 92648
📅 October 17–18, 2025
🎟️ Tickets & Info: californiawinefestival.com
📲 Instagram: @californiawinefestival
Photo credits: Photos courtesy of Luis Esparza
