The wildfires in California during the massive drought have devastated some of the region’s wineries and vineyards, but this year The Big Sur Food and Wine Festival will be supporting the Soberanes Fire Relief Fund and the Big Sur Fire Brigade along with other local programs including Big Sur Schools, the Big Sur Health Center and the Henry Miller Memorial Library.
The Festival almost had to be canceled three different times and many businesses had to evacuate during the wildfires, causing revenue to be lost. The Big Sur Food and Wine Event will help bring back some lost revenues to the companies that suffered. Festival organizers saw firsthand the impact of the Soberanes Fire.
The “Magical Mystery Tour” event kicks off the festival with hiking, a garden party and a mobile feast where ticket holders hop on a bus and sip champagne on the way to a private property along the Big Sur coast. On location, they’ll enjoy an intimate feast of food and wine.
Friday’s events will showcase wines that are maybe lesser known for this California region including wine varietals like chenin blanc, Grüner Veltliner, Trousseau and many more. Friday also has a “Hiking with Stemware” picnic along the Big Sur’s mountains, a “Pinot Walkabout” offering bites alongside wine tastings from 20 different wineries while strolling the property’s gardens as well as a “Wine and Swine” event.
Saturday will include a “Walkabout Marketplace” artisanal market in the Loma Vista Gardens next to the Big Sur Bakery. There will also be a “Sommelier Dinner” Saturday evening where local Big Sur restaurants host catered dinners. Deetjen’s showcases a five-course dinner with wine pairings and wine tastings from Napa’s Mi Sueño Winery. The Big Sur Bakery will host Frank Ostini from the Buellton’s Hitching Post II for a unique a la carte menu to pair with selections from the Hitching Post’s famous wine list.
If you love wine and want to support the wineries that we love in California, this is the event to support. Some events are sold out, but there’s still time to support the Big Sur Food and Wine Festival. After all, this drought can be devastating and we wouldn’t want to lose one of the wonders of California. Charity aside, it’ll just be a dang good time!
For more info on this story, visit the Mercury News Article here and for event info visit here.