After a successful inaugural run last September, the Del Mar Wine + Food Festival returns next week in vastly expanded form.
Running Wednesday, Oct. 2, through Oct. 7, this year’s Del Mar Wine + Food fest will have 25 culinary and wine-related events at multiple locations, more local sports and lifestyle events, more celebrity chefs and athletes and more than 100 participating restaurants. This year’s event also includes a community beach cleanup and a charity partner, Feeding San Diego.
Festival co-founder, San Diego Magazine co-owner and Food Network host Troy Johnson said the festival’s growth after just one year has exceeded the expectations of its creators.
“Honestly, the first year was just kinda magic,” Johnson said. “We put our lives into it and crossed a billion T’s. Obviously we dream of this being a national-caliber annual gathering of food, drink and active SoCal culture. We want people to fly here every year for it. But it was far better than even I imagined. A whole food and drink culture under the sun on that Narnia-like grass, the ocean off in the distance. Even my most pessimistic chef friends — the ones who always say no to events — kind of looked at me wide-eyed and said ‘oh … OK .. I’ll do this.”
“Good word got back to other chefs and wineries and Food Network friends and they offered to come out this year. More professional athletes, too, like San Diego FC and San Diego Mojo and tennis pros at the pickleball tournament. It just feels incredibly good to know people will show up and a dream, and I have so much gratitude to everyone who helps us do this. I can’t wait to see what Del Mar Wine + Food looks like in 20 years.”
Here are the events that make up this year’s festival. More details and tickets can be found at delmar.wine.
Grand Tastings: More than 100 restaurants, wineries and breweries will offer tastings, with a mostly different lineup each day, at these outdoor events at the Del Mar Surf Sports Park. 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 5 and 6 (VIP and early-entry tickets available). 14989 Via de la Valle, Del Mar. $165-$425. Two-day es are $265-$775.
Wine seminars and events: Nine educational and tasting events will be presented at the at Rancho Santa Fe on Oct. 3 and 4, including a blind tasting with master sommeliers, a seminar on rare Burgundies, a tasting of cabernets, wine industry seminars and discussions. 5951 Linea Del Cielo, Rancho Santa Fe. Individual tickets start at $200. Group tickets for multiple events start at $600.
Sporting events: Former San Diego Chargers quarterback Drew Brees hosts the Whispering Angel Celebrity Pickleball tournament from noon to 4 p.m. Oct. 4 at Bobby Riggs Racket & Paddle club, 875 Santa Fe Drive, Encinitas. $350-$500.The Happy Fillmore Golf Classic will be held from 2-5:30 p.m. Oct. 7 at Lomas Santa Fe Country Club. Single registration is $180, $640 for a foursome.
Tacos, Tortas + Tequila: San Diego FC soccer hosts the festival’s opening night party at Monarch Ocean Pub with tequila, mezcal and food from 12 local restaurants, including Puesto, Lola 55 and Tuetano Taqueria. 6-9 p.m. Wednesday. 1555 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar. $165.
Marisi’s Fall Harvest with Italian Wine Pio Cesare: Marisi restaurant hosts this reception and five-course family-style dinner prepared by chef Cameron Ingle with Pio Cesare wines. 6-9:30 p.m. Thursday. 1044 Wall St., La Jolla. $225.
Trattoria di Prato: Chefs Rocco DiSpirito, Jackson Kalb and Jason McLeod will prepare a four-course Italian dinner on the lawn at the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe. 6-9:30 p.m. Thursday. 5951 Linea Del Cielo, Rancho Santa Fe. $300.
Coastal Cowboy Dinner: Scottsdale, Arizona, chefs Beau MacMillan and James Beard Award-winning Best-Chef Southwest 2024 Rene Andrade will prepare a family-style dinner with Arizona wines. 6-9 p.m. Oct. 4. Hosted by retired MLB pitcher James Shields. $550.
Napa Luxe: The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe presents this walk-around tasting of wines from 12 Napa region wineries, with food by the Inn’s chef Jason McLeod and sweets from Extraordinary Desserts. 6-9 p.m. Oct. 4. 5951 Linea Del Cielo, Rancho Santa Fe. $225.
A Night of Divine Art + Cuisine: The Kitchen at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and celebrity chef and James Beard Award winner Maneet Chauhan will co-host this museum tour and four-course sunset dinner with wine prepared by Urban Kitchen Group and many local chefs. 6-9 p.m. Oct. 4. 700 Prospect St., La Jolla. $300.
Spice Girls Dinner: Celebrity chefs Aarti Sequiera and Claudia Sandoval will prepare a four-course dinner with wine pairings that will fuse the spice profiles of India, Mexico and beyond. 6:30-9:30 p.m. Oct. 5 at a private Rancho Santa Fe estate. $500.
Agave After Party: Illegal Mezcal hosts this food, drink and live music experience at Fox Point Farms, featuring a la carte food and drink booths and the tribute bands The Pettybreakers and Fleetwood Max. 6-10 p.m. Oct. 5. 1200 Fox Point Farm Lanes, Encinitas. $150-$300.
Beach Cleanup and Seafood Brunch: On the morning of Oct. 6, a Moonlight Beach cleanup with the Rob Machado Foundation will be held at 7:30 a.m., followed by brunch at 9 a.m. at Herb & Sea restaurant in Encinitas, featuring a 10-item seafood-centric brunch menu and cocktails. The menu will be prepared by Herb & Sea co-owner/chef Brian Malarkey, Michelin-starred Baja California chef Javier Plascencia and Herb & Sea chef Aidan Owen. 7:30-11 a.m. Oct. 6. 131 W. D St., Encinitas. $150.
Mer de Baja with chefs Benito Molina and Drew Deckman: Rancho Bernardo Inn hosts this four-course French-Baja fusion dinner by superstar chefs from Mexico (and now San Diego, where Deckman has opened a third restaurant in North Park). 6-9:30 p.m. Oct. 6. 17550 Bernardo Oaks Drive, San Diego. $250.
