Garagiste Festival: Sell-Out In Solvang – Los Angeles, Paso Dates Announced

Hundreds flock to Solvang to taste over 60 SYV/SB garagiste wines at expanded Southern Exposure Festival; first-ever Los Angeles Garagiste Festival announced for July 12th; fourth annual Paso Robles Garagiste Festival announced for November 6th – 9th

SBCheader2014 Garagiste Events, producers of The Garagiste Festivals, today announced the dates for the first-ever Los Angeles-based Garagiste Festival on July 12th and the fourth annual Paso Robles Garagiste Festival November 6th – 9th. The announcements come on the heels of another sell-out in Solvang, where the second annual Garagiste Festival: Southern Exposure hosted hundreds of passionate wine consumers and over 60 SYV/SB artisan winemakers and was dubbed “a wildly exuberant and fun wine event” by the LA Times.

“Following a big success in Solvang for these remarkable garagiste winemakers, who continue to find an audience of passionate new fans through our events, we could not be more excited to announce the date of our first Los Angeles festival this summer, (with more details to come soon), and for our fourth annual festival this fall in Paso Robles,” said Garagiste Festival Co-founder Doug Minnick. “Consumers flock to our festivals because there is nowhere else where they can taste so many ‘garagiste’ wines under the same roof – and these are the real deal: true garagistes who pay close, hands-on attention to every wine they make.”

The non-profit Garagiste Festivals are the only events that exclusively showcase high-quality, cutting-edge, small-production commercial wineries that produce fewer than 1,500 cases a year, and have emerged as among the most unique and influential wine events in the US. Named one of the ‘Top Nine Incredible Epicurean Vacations’ in the world by ABC News and a ‘not to miss’ event by the LA Times, the festivals have introduced hundreds of outstanding artisan winemakers to thousands of passionate wine consumers, members of the trade and media, elevating the profiles of many of the winemakers nationally for the first time, and raising thousands of dollars for the education of future winemakers.

“The Garagiste Festivals continue to grow because they are completely unique among wine events – always held in interesting venues, with a relaxed, intimate, fun and ‘no- snobs-allowed’ atmosphere,” said Garagiste Festival co-founder Stewart McLennan  “Starting with our first festival in 2011, we have always sold out — evidence that there is a hunger in the wine world for innovative wine making by artisans crafting with passion, a healthy respect for tradition, and an even healthier respect for breaking the rules – and that the Garagiste Festivals are the best way to discover them.”

This March’s Garagiste Festival: Southern Exposure, which doubled in size from the previous year, included two days of tasting and a kick off pizza pairing event. The festival has already set the dates for the 2015 Southern Exposure festival, March 28th & 29th, again at Veteran’s Hall in Solvang.

The Los Angeles Garagiste Festival event will be held on July 12th, 2014 and the fourth annual Paso Robles Garagiste Festival will be held on November 6th  – 9th, 2014 in Paso Robles.

To preserve an intimate experience for consumers with one-on-one interaction with winemakers, tickets are always very limited for the Garagiste Festivals.  To be alerted when tickets go on sale for Los Angeles and Paso Robles, for special discounts and for breaking news about all Garagiste events, sign up for The Dirt or follow us on Twitter (@GaragisteFest) or Facebook.

The non-profit Garagiste Festivals benefit the Cal Poly Wine and Viticulture program.

For sponsorship info, email info@garagistefestival.com.

**Garagistes (gar-uh-zhē-stuh) is a term originally used in the Bordeaux region of France to denigrate renegade small-lot wine makers, sometimes working in their “garages” (anything considered not a chateau), who refused to follow the “rules,” and is now a full-fledged movement responsible for making some of the best wine in the world.  The Garagiste Festivals were the first to shine a light on the American garagiste winemaker in 2011. Since then, the festival has helped consumers discover the remarkable wines of hundreds of true garagistes, who handcraft under 1500 cases a year and pay close, hands-on attention to every wine they make.

About The Garagiste Festivals

The Garagiste Festivals (http://www.garagistefestival.com) are the first and only wine festivals dedicated to the undiscovered and under-recognized artisan ‘garagiste’ producers who are making some of the best, most exciting, handcrafted small-lot production wines in the world. Founded by fellow garagistes Stewart McLennan and Douglas Minnick, the Garagiste Festivals are committed to discovering the best and most innovative limited-production winemakers and promoting and showcasing them to a broad audience of discerning wine consumers. In addition to its flagship annual festival in Paso Robles, CA, the Garagiste Festival line-up includes Garagiste Festival: Southern Exposure, featuring Santa Ynez Valley garagistes; garagiste mini-tastings presented from So Cal to Tahoe; winemaker dinners, a newsletter, garagiste profiles and more. Named one of the “Top Nine Incredible Epicurean Vacations” by ABC News, Garagiste Festivals are produced by Garagiste Events, a non-profit dedicated to furthering the education of future winemakers and those training for employment within the wine industry. Proceeds from the festivals are donated to the Cal Poly Wine and Viticulture Program.

One thought on “Garagiste Festival: Sell-Out In Solvang – Los Angeles, Paso Dates Announced

  1. The Garagiste Festivals gives us the opportunity to taste wines that I probably would not have had the try before. Looking forward to it!

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