22nd San Diego Food + Wine Festival Opens Nov. 1: Eight Days, 200+ Chefs and Over 11,000 Food Lovers
The 22nd annual San Diego Food + Wine Festival opens on November 1 in San Diego, in California's San Diego County, and runs for eight days through November 8. Organizer San Diego Wine Classic says this year's festival is expected to draw more than 11,000 attendees, over 200 chefs and restaurants, and hundreds of wine, beer and spirits producers, with Michelin and James Beard honorees among the lineup. The festival kicks off on opening night with a Día de Muertos charity gala at Fairmont Grand Del Mar.
The opening gala is the fourth annual Día de Muertos celebration, staged as a reception-style tasting rather than a traditional seated dinner: a VIP cocktail reception begins at 5 p.m. on the Solana Terrace, with general admission from 6:30 p.m. at Grand Social. The evening honors chef José Andrés, founder of World Central Kitchen, and Michelin-honored chefs Javier Plascencia, Roberto Alcocer, Drew Deckman and Esteban Lluis will be among those cooking at chef stations. Proceeds benefit Fundación Tijuana Sin Hambre, which delivers some 3,500 nutritious meals daily to 40 shelters across the Tijuana region of Mexico.
The biggest change this year comes with the closing Grand Weekend. On Friday, November 6, the Icons + Legends tasting night takes place at JULEP Venue. Then, for the first time, Saturday's Grand Tasting (November 7) and Sunday's Grand Fiesta (November 8) share one waterfront site on back-to-back days at Embarcadero Marina Park North on San Diego Bay — the first with hundreds of chefs, restaurants, wineries, breweries and craft spirits producers, the second celebrating the cross-border flavors linking San Diego and Baja California, with the Taco TKO competition and live Latin music. The weekend is presented by Southwest Airlines.
The rest of festival week spreads across the county: the SommCon conference and beverage expo runs November 3–5 at Rancho Bernardo Inn, and November 5 alone brings a Baja culinary expedition to Mexico's Valle de Guadalupe, an Oyster Jam in Pacific Beach, a 20th anniversary dinner at Romesco, and the Legacy of the Land dinner at Grand Del Mar. The organizer notes that venues and times vary by event; the full schedule is on the festival's official website.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：往届圣迭戈美食葡萄酒节 Grand Tasting 现场，观众举杯品鉴（主办方供图）。图片：圣迭戈美食葡萄酒节主办方 San Diego Wine Classic。 / Guests toast at a previous Grand Tasting (organizer photo). Photo: San Diego Wine Classic, festival organizer.
