Prepare: San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival

We’re not the city that never sleeps, but we sure are the city that never stops drinking. Arriving on the tail-end of San Diego Beer Week, our city grabs their glassware for the 9th Annual San Diego Bay Wine and Food Festival, returning November 14-18.

Here, we praise the sommeliers who keep us afloat and the culinary masters who weigh us back down. 200 wineries, breweries and spirits from around the globe will bond with 70 San Diegan chefs and restaurants for the five-day fest held all around town.

The city will swirl with 10,000 wine and food enthusiasts, cookbook authors, culinary personalities, celebrity chefs, winemakers and many more eager to taste. If you consider yourself a wine-o, an educated expert or a liquor novice, you’ll find ample opportunities to swish, swirl and clink your way around with the best wineries, spirits purveyors and breweries in the industry.

Brush shoulders with some national and local celebrity chefs and personalities including Lindsay Autry, a former Top Chef contestant, Bernard Guillas of La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club; Sam “The Cooking Guy”; Mario Cassineri of Bice; Tommy Fraioli of Sea Rocket Bistro; Scott Thomas Dolbee of Kitchen 1540; Rachel King, Executive Pastry Chef of Searsucker; Brian Malarkey of Searsucker, Gingham, Burlap and more; Anthony Sinsay of Burlap; Rich Sweeney of Gang Eatery and more.

The schedule is almost overwhelming, if it weren't for the relief of wine promised at each stop. Start off with the Uncorked Launch Party hosted at Analog Bar on Nov. 11 featuring a celebrity chef photoshoot and mixology competition; Alaska Seafood Tastemaker Dinner Hosted with The Oceanaire Seafood Room on Nov. 12; SWISH: Serious Sips & Urban Eats presented by Simply Naked Wines on Nov. 14 at Fifty Seven Degrees; Dry Creek Valley: A Century of Great Zin on Nov. 15 at San Diego Wine & Culinary Center; Roppongi Tastemaker Dinner with Michael David Winery on Nov. 15; a Master Sommelier Blind Tasting on Nov. 16; the Grand Tasting Event on Nov. 17 (more info below); and the Wine Spectacular Celebrity Chef Luncheon & Live Auction on Nov. 18 at Marriott Marquis & Marina.

The Grand Tasting Event held on Nov. 17 at Embarcadero Marina Park North closes out the five days of festivities with glass clinking, celebrity watching, swishing, swirling and mouth-watering good food. Over 700 wines will be poured out as chefs wow in the “Chef of the Fest” showdown. In addition, the Grand Tasting event will hold a cookbook author signing and live entertainment, plus a backdrop of the San Diego shoreline. Tickets start at $125.

Ticket options to the entire San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival vary, and can accommodate various event combinations. For example, the Grand Cru VIP Pass includes one ticket to the Uncorked Launch Party, three tickets to Wine Tasting and/or Culinary Classes of choice, one ticket to The Vault, one VIP ticket to the Grand Tasting Event and one VIP Gift Bag for $600. Discover other similar packages and ticket combos online.

For more information and tickets, visit sandiegowineclassic.com.

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