Del Mar Wine + Food Festival 2026 — Grand Tasting

Two days in early October, the Surf Sports Park in Del Mar becomes the best table in San Diego. Del Mar Wine + Food Festival is one of Southern California's most anticipated food-and-wine weekends — an outdoor grand tasting that brings together winemakers, chefs, and the SoCal food community in a setting that makes the whole thing feel more like a dinner party than a convention. The Grand Tasting runs October 3–4, 2026, at Surf Sports Park, 14989 Via De La Valle, Del Mar, CA 92014. The park sits close to the Del Mar racetrack and opens to ocean breezes from the coast — the kind of venue that makes the wine taste better by proximity. Tickets are available at delmar.wine in Tasting Packages that include access to both days or individual day options. The festival features 50+ wineries pouring alongside curated food pairings from San Diego-area chefs. Categories span Coastal California varietals, Baja wine, and international selections — the winemaker presence is hands-on and tasting-floor conversations tend to run long. A full week of smaller dinners, chef collaborations, and intimate tasting events lead up to the Grand Tasting weekend. If your entry point to this world is food-first rather than wine-first, the Grand Tasting works for you too — a rotating lineup of local restaurants and culinary vendors means there is always something worth eating between pours.