Santa Lucia Highlands - Sun, Wind & Wine Festival

I'll let you in on a little secret. I love wine festivals.

What's that? You say you already know? But how?

Mere grape juice! Photos prove nothing.

Touché.

Despite spending my free time traveling to wine festivals, I've been missing out. Can you believe I've never tried a ROAR Pinot Noir? I intend to remedy this soon. I've discovered an exclusive wine event near the gorgeous California coast.

Although guests are not normally allowed in the barrel cellar of Mer Soleil Winery, an exception is being made next weekend. On Saturday, May 13th, a limited number of wine lovers and foodies are invited to celebrate the best of the Santa Lucia Highlands at the The Sun, Wind & Wine Festival.

Featuring more than 30 wineries, chefs sharing gourmet Monterey Peninsula flavor, and a bubbles bar (my favorite), this wine festival checks all the boxes for a can't miss event. We're so excited!

And if you're still trying to figure out what to get Mom this year, how perfect is it that The Sun, Wind & Wine Festival is the day before Mother's Day? Favorite Child status secured.

Also, there's a really neat online wine auction for this event and you can bid even if you don't purchase tickets to the festival! Hurry though because the auction ends on Sunday, May 7th at 8 pm.

It seems someone used the Dwight Schrute bidding method on that bottle of 2017 Cattleya "The Initiation" Syrah.

SANTA LUCIA HIGHLANDS WINE ARTISANS SUN, WIND & WINE FESTIVAL

When: Saturday, May 13th, 2023

Where: Mer Soleil Winery in Salinas, CA

Sun, Wind & Wine Festival Tickets: santaluciahighlands.com/events/wine-festival (Nearly sold out!)

100+ Wines, Local Chefs, Bubbles Bar, Rare Wine Auction

Participating Wineries: Bernardus, Bruliam Wines, Caraccioli Cellars, Cattleya Wines, Clarice Wine Company, CRU Winery, Hahn Estates, J. Lohr, Joyce Wine Co., KORi Wines, Luli, Mansfield-Dunne, McIntyre Vineyards, Mer Soleil, Miner Family Wines, Morgan Winery, Odonata, Pessagno, Pisoni Family Vineyards, Puma Road, Rombauer Vineyards, ROAR Wines, Sarah’s Vineyard, Scheid, Talbott Vineyards, Testarossa, Tondre, Tudor Wines, Windy Oaks, Wrath and more.

From the event organizer:

Santa Lucia Highlands, Calif.—Tickets are now on sale for the Santa Lucia Highlands Wine Artisans 15th Sun,Wind & Wine Festival, Saturday, May 13, from 11 am to 2:30 pm at Mer Soleil Winery in Salinas.

The Sun, Wind & Wine Festival is back for its 15th event with a strolling wine tasting through the barrel cellar of Mer Soleil Winery, not normally open to the public. Festival guests will enjoy limited-release Santa Lucia Highlands wines poured by the vintners themselves.

Local chefs and food purveyors bring Monterey Peninsula flavor with gourmet small bites and plates from Carmel Valley Ranch, Chef Colin Moody and The Club at Pasadera, Rancho Cielo Drummond Culinary Academy, Chef Tim Wood at Woody’s at the Airport, Chefs Palette Spice Rubs, and more. Artisan food producers include Schoch Family Farmstead, Zio Brand Sausage, Real Good Fish and more. A bubbles bar featuring sparkling wines, reserved VIP tables, and a rare wine auction adds to the event experience.

A portion of proceeds benefit Rancho Cielo Youth Campus and travel scholarships for diverse wine professional candidates attending educational visits to the region. Live music and other surprises round out the afternoon.

Sun, Wind & Wine Festival tickets range from $135-165 with reserve tables from $1099 to $1839.

Transportation tickets from Monterey are also available. Mer Soleil Winery is located at 1290 River Road, Salinas, California.

About the Santa Lucia Highlands

The Santa Lucia Highlands is one of the crown jewels of California viticulture, growing and producing some of the state's best cool climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The narrow 18-mile-long appellation encompasses 5,700 acres of prime vineyards, planted on the elevated terraces of the Santa Lucia Mountain range near Monterey Bay.

The region's unique winegrowing character was established in 1991 and recognized with official A.V.A. status in 1992. Formed in 2005, the Santa Lucia Highlands Wine Artisans is a not-for-profit association of vineyards and wineries that grow grapes in the S.L.H. or use the appellation's fruit to craft their vintage releases. The group's online home is SantaLuciaHighlands.com.

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