California Wine Month 2026: Guide to 5 Must-Visit Events

California in September has a serious grape problem in the best possible way. Harvest season is in full swing, tasting rooms get busier, vineyards come alive, and entire towns find creative ways to turn grapes into a reason to celebrate. California Wine Month brings everything from beachside tastings and winery dinners to grape stomps, live music, food pairings, vineyard tours, and full weekend festivals.

The best part? No two events feel the same. In 2026, you can taste wine in Los Angeles one weekend, head to Catalina Island for pours by the beach, join a grape-filled celebration in Lodi, explore harvest season in Alexander Valley, and finish in Sonoma with one of the region’s biggest wine traditions. So clear a few September weekends. These are five California Wine Month 2026 events worth raising a glass to.

Is September California Wine Month?

Yes. California Wine Month runs from September 1 through September 30, 2026, placing the celebration right in the middle of harvest season for many California wine regions.

There is no single California Wine Month festival. Instead, the month brings together events across a state whose wine regions stretch hundreds of miles.

That variety is part of the fun. One weekend might mean a walk-around tasting in a city, while another could include wandering through a vineyard, talking with a grower, attending a winemaker dinner, joining a harvest activity, or listening to live music with a glass in hand.

Visit California lists special tastings, vineyard tours, winemaker dinners, grape-harvest experiences, seminars, blending workshops, festivals, and food-and-wine pairings among the experiences offered during the month.

California Wine Month 2026 dates

The simple answer is September 1–30, 2026. The more useful answer is that every festival has its own calendar. Some of the biggest California Wine Month 2026 events happen on a single day. Others fill an entire weekend or stretch across a full week. That makes September a good month for anything from a quick Saturday outing to a longer road trip through several California wine regions. If you are building a multi-stop itinerary, check the official event schedule before booking. Special dinners, tastings, tours, and limited-capacity experiences may have completely different hours from the main festival.

California Wine Month 2026 food

Come for the wine, but do not overlook what's on the plate. Food is a major part of many California Wine Month experiences. Depending on where you go, that could mean a formal winemaker dinner, a curated food-and-wine pairing, small bites during a tasting, or festival food enjoyed between live performances. California Wine Month programming across the state includes both winemaker dinners and food-and-wine pairings, but offerings differ significantly by destination. Before attending, check whether food is included with admission or sold separately. For smaller dinners and winery experiences, reservations may also be required. Travelers with allergies or other dietary needs should confirm available options directly with the organizer or participating venue.

LAWineFest 2026

Wine tasting in L.A. without the drive to wine country? LAWineFest 2026 makes that an easy weekend plan. The 21st annual festival takes place September 12–13, 2026, at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank. Expect California and international wines, craft brews, ciders and other drinks alongside live music, food trucks, and local vendors. The event is 21+ only.

Saturday, September 12: General Admission runs from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., while VIP ticket holders get early entry at 1 p.m. Sunday, September 13: General Admission and VIP entry run from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Standard gate prices are listed at $100 for General Admission, $150 for the VIP Garden, and $25 for a Designated Driver ticket. Advance and promotional tickets may cost less. For example, current partner offers show discounted single-day tickets starting around $55–$60 for General Admission and $90–$95 for VIP, so it is worth checking the official LAWineFest ticket page before paying at the gate. General Admission includes festival entry, unlimited wine and craft brew tastings, and a commemorative LAWineFest glass. VIP tickets include the General Admission experience plus access to the separate VIP Garden, where guests can sample boutique and premium wines, enjoy bites, and use additional seating and dedicated restrooms. VIP attendance is limited to 400 guests per day. Food is not an afterthought either. Food trucks and other vendors will be serving throughout the festival, making it easy to break up the tastings with something to eat while catching live music or browsing local exhibitors.

If you are looking for wine events in Los Angeles that feel more like a relaxed weekend festival than a formal tasting, LAWineFest is one of the easiest California Wine Month events to add to your September plans.

LAWineFest Tickets, Parking, and Transportation

Planning to drive? LAWineFest offers offsite parking for $16 at Providence Hospital/Providence High School, about one mile from the festival venue. A free shuttle will run between the parking area and LAWineFest throughout both event days. Groups also have another useful option: the Designated Driver ticket. It is intended for guests who want to attend LAWineFest without participating in the wine tastings, such as the person driving the group home. The ticket provides festival admission beginning at 2 p.m., but does not include alcoholic tastings.

This makes it possible to enjoy the food, entertainment, and festival atmosphere even if you are skipping the wine or volunteering to be the responsible one for the day.

Two Harbors Wine Fest 2026

There are wine festivals, and then there are wine festivals where your tasting room comes with sand and an ocean view. The Two Harbors Wine Fest takes place September 12, 2026, on the beach in Two Harbors on Catalina Island, with General Admission tasting from 1 to 4 p.m. Tickets start at $106.25 and include tastings from participating wineries, a souvenir wine glass, complimentary appetizers, live entertainment, and access to the Avalon Rotary Silent Auction. The event is 21+ only. Since the festival is literally on the beach, the organizer recommends comfortable shoes, layers, sunscreen, and a hat. Wine in one hand and sand under your feet? Not a bad Saturday.

Getting there takes a little more planning. Boat transportation is not included with a regular ticket. Catalina Express runs from San Pedro to Two Harbors, while visitors staying in Avalon can take the Cyclone. Transportation-and-event packages are also available. And because the event can sell out, this is one California Wine Month plan you probably should not leave until Friday night.

Lodi Grape Festival 2026

Wine gets the spotlight in September, but in Lodi, the grape gets the whole festival. The Lodi Grape Festival 2026 runs September 17–20 with carnival rides, food, live entertainment, vendors, exhibits, and the festival’s famous grape and commodity murals. It’s a four-day celebration built around San Joaquin County’s grape-harvest tradition.

Regular admission is $15 for ages 13+, $10 for ages 6–12, and free for kids 5 and under. Even better, the festival has some wallet-friendly deals: guests 16 and under get in free Thursday, everyone gets free admission Friday from noon to 5 p.m., and on Saturday and Sunday you can bring two cans of food and get in for $2 before 2 p.m. Want to plan ahead? The official ticket page currently lists 2026 presale admission for $9.50 and an unlimited-ride carnival wristband for $33, both valid for one day. Parking is $12 in official festival lots and is credit/debit only. So yes, you can come for California Wine Month, but staying for carnival rides and $2 admission is completely understandable.

Alexander Valley Wine Week 2026

Prefer wine country without the giant festival crowds? Alexander Valley Wine Week takes a more flexible approach. Running September 21–27, 2026, the event spreads across wineries in Alexander Valley and Healdsburg. There is no single festival ticket or all-access wristband. Instead, each winery handles its own reservations, tours, tastings, and special experiences. That means you can build your week around what actually sounds fun, think vineyard hikes, tractor tours, wine-blending sessions, sensory seminars, winemaker tastings, and harvest celebrations. Some local lodging partners also offer special Wine Week stays.

Just remember: this is not a “show up and wander in” kind of event. Pick the wineries and experiences you want, then book directly with each one in advance.

Valley of the Moon Vintage Festival 2026

If your ideal September weekend includes wine, food, live music, grape stomping, and a little Sonoma history, the Valley of the Moon Vintage Festival checks a lot of boxes. The festival runs September 24–27, 2026, with events spread across Sonoma Valley. Friday features a $125 Harvest Immersion Experience at Sangiacomo Family Wines, followed by the Sonoma Valley Harvest Dinner, where individual tickets are $250. Saturday is the big festival day on Sonoma Plaza. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the daytime festival is free to attend, with live music, food, artisan vendors, kids’ activities, a vintage car show, wine, and beer.

Registration costs $75 per team of two and includes the grape stomp plus a T-shirt. Participants can request a preferred time slot -10 a.m. - noon, noon - 2 p.m., or 2–4 p.m. although exact times are not guaranteed. Registration closes September 22, 2026. So yes, for $75 you and a friend can literally stomp grapes in Sonoma. Shoes may never be the same.

Plan Your California Wine Month 2026 Experience

California Wine Month is basically September giving you five very good excuses to make weekend plans. You can sip your way through L.A., trade the city for a beach tasting on Catalina Island, celebrate harvest season in Lodi, go behind the scenes in Alexander Valley, or finish the month surrounded by Sonoma traditions. Better yet, the dates are spread out enough that choosing just one is completely optional. Just match the event to the kind of day you actually want. Beach and wine? Two Harbors. Big festival energy? Lodi. Winery experiences? Alexander Valley. Sonoma classics? Valley of the Moon. Then handle the less exciting part before you go: tickets, transportation, hotel rooms, age requirements, and reservations. A little planning now means more time enjoying the wine later and less time standing in a parking lot wondering where the shuttle went.