Big Sur Food and Wine Festival

November 4—7, 2010

Indulge in fantastic food, great wines and exquisite scenery at the Big Sur Food and Wine Festival. Local restaurants, resorts and wineries will team up for dinners and tastings that showcase area produce and wines. Proceeds from the event benefit the Big Sur Volunteer Fire Brigade and the Big Sur Health Center.

Details for the 2010 Big Sur Food and Wine Festival have yet to be released. Return to this page as the event draws nearer for updates.

Opening Night

New to the Big Sur Food and Wine Festival is "Gateway to Big Sur." This opening night reception will be held on Thursday, November 4th, at Highlands Inn in Carmel from 6pm-9pm and will showcase 20 wineries and 10 different chefs.

Friday Tastings

Friday offered two wine tastings, each with a different focus. At 10:30am, the "Power Pinot Panel" featured discussion by area winemakers on pinot, as well as samplings of many styles of the varietal. At 2:30pm, "Bordeaux Blends We Love" gave guests the chance to compare Bordeaux-style wines from regions ranging from the Central Coast to Napa.

Saturday Tastings

Saturday's events included the chance to taste Rhone-styled wines presented by six different winemakers at "Rhone You Be Mine," or to learn the differences between sustainable, biodynamic and organic wines at "Sustainable vs. Biodynamic vs. Organic."

Two different afternoon tastings were also offered. At the "Post Ranch Strolling Tour," guests had the chance to meander the trails at Post Ranch Inn, stopping at six locations along the way for regional wines and perfectly matched edibles. Meanwhile, the Lodge at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park offered delicious tastings from over 30 restaurants and wineries.

Winemaker Dinners

Ten Big Sur venues hosted winemaker dinners throughout the weekend. Most events included live music, and all had extremely limited seating.

Dinner With Friends — A Benefit for Big Sur

The Restaurant at Ventana drew winemaking and chef talent from throughout the region for this one-of-a-kind event. The event began with a reception and live auction featuring food by Arturo Moscoso of Pebble Beach's Peppoli Restaurant, as well as some amazing wines, art and vacations on the auction block. For the even more intimate dinner, three of Monterey County's finest chefs — Mark Ayers of the Highlands Inn, Cal Stamenov and Ben Spungin of Bernardus Lodge and Dory Ford of Ventana — teamed up for the dinner of a lifetime, featuring wines from several central coast wineries.