Garagiste Festival: Southern Exposure

>> We have moved the date of this event to August 28 & 29th. All other details remain the same. As with all public events we are actively monitoring the COVID-19 Situation. This is an extremely fluid situation and we will abide by all the guidelines for public safety that are outlined by state health officials, the local government and the CDC. We will contact attendees directly with additional details when and if necessary. <<

The majority of our wineries do not have tasting rooms, and their wines can be very hard to find on store shelves. We make it easy for you to find a world of new wine discoveries all under one roof. As with all Garagiste events, only the winemakers and/or owners (often the same person) will be pouring the wines. Come meet the artists who are making some of the most exciting and innovative wines in the world. Attendees will be limited to only 250 guests.

Wineries Include:
Ascension Cellars, Bolt To Wines, Cavaletti Vineyards, Cholame Vineyard, Cloak & Dagger Wines, D. Volk Wines, DeWitt Vineyard, Diablo Paso, DiPalermo By Frequency, Dorothy Jean Wines, Dusty Nabor Wines, Entourage Wines, Ferguson Family Wines, Gary Kramer Guitar Cellars, Greyscale Wines, Hoi Polloi Winery, Hoyt Family Vineyards, Imagine Wines, Kaleidos Wines, Kimsey Vineyard, Lepiane Wines, Lions Peak Winery, Marin's Vineyard, Mastro Scheidt, McClain Cellars, MCV Wines, Montemar Winery, Pelletiere Estate, Quench + Temper, San Rucci Wines, Seagrape Wine Co., Sharpei Moon, Sycamore Ranch Winery, Torch Cellars, Two Moons Cellars, Velvet Bee Wines, and Volatus Wines.


WEEKEND SCHEDULE
All Events at The Veterans' Memorial Hall. 1745 Mission Drive, Solvang, CA

FRIDAY - AUGUST 28th - 6:30-9:00pm 

"NO REPEATS RARE & RESERVE" KICK-OFF BBQ: A truly intimate evening with the winemakers as they share wines you won’t get to try anywhere else this weekend…and few other people get to try at all! This event will showcase extremely limited Club Only, Library and Pre-Release bottles – perhaps even some barrel samples – that truly showcase what micro-production winemaking is all about. This evening is like digging for diamonds with an earth mover. You are guaranteed to find more than a few gems! A Texas-Style BBQ buffet by Neighbor Tim's BBQ is also included in the fun. Only 150 Tickets available.

SATURDAY - AUGUST 29th - Please note different starting times below...
The day begins with one of the most popular features of the Garagiste Festivals, its engaging, educational and unique winemaker panel and tasting seminars.

*SATURDAY SEMINAR: 11:00am-12:30pm

“Original Garagistes: A Deep Dive & Tasting with Jim Clendenen”
We continue our series with a conversation and tasting with another Central Coast winemaking legend!

Jim Clendenen, the “Mind Behind” Au Bon Climat, is recognized worldwide and has been internationally awarded for his classically styled wines at the winery he helped start in 1982 - the famed Au Bon Climat. Au Bon Climat sources fruit from several of the most highly regarded vineyards in the Central Coast, with Clendenen’s own Le Bon Climat Vineyard and estate plantings at the legendary Bien Nacido Vineyard – both in Santa Maria Valley, taking the lead. In addition to his Burgundian-focused Au Bon Climat wines, Jim also established another brand, Clendenen Family Vineyards, which allows him to truly indulge his passion for winemaking by crafting small lots of distinctive wines from a wider spectrum of varieties and styles like their 5-year, barrel-aged Nebbiolo.

This seminar will not only give attendees the opportunity to sample a selection of Jim's wines but will also chronicle, via moderator Stewart McLennan, his story and winemaking journey. This seminar promises to be a unique and not to be missed view behind the man and his amazing career.

*The seminar is only available as part of the WEEKEND PASS* or Saturday VIP TICKET, which also includes a Wine Country Box Lunch provided by Succulent Cafe and (1) hour early access to the Grand Tasting.

Saturday continues with the Grand Tasting from 2-5pm showcasing over 40 winemakers pouring 100+ wines and 20+ varietals.
There will be a limited number of Early Access Tickets available, which gives attendees an extra hour of tasting from 1-2pm. More time = more wines to discover. These tickets grant you 4 hours of tasting so you will have plenty of time to chat, taste and explore.

*Limited Weekend Passes Available - For those of you who want to attend ALL of our events, we have created a Weekend Pass that gets you into both Friday's Kick-Off Party and Saturday's VIP All-Day Seminar & Tasting for just $150. Only 40 passes available - no coupon code needed!