South Walton Beaches Wine & Food Festival

More than 500 of the finest wines and spirits, and local cuisine will be tasted and enjoyed at the  South Walton Beaches Wine & Food Festival. Attendees can sip and satiate at the 12th annual event during the weekend of April 25-28.

The festival spans across Grand Boulevard’s Town Center, merging winemakers, chefs, distillers and brewers for four days of events that include wine tastings, educational seminars, culinary stations, entertainment, a charity component and more.

The festival begins on Thursday with a Winemakers & Shakers event. Friday includes a VIP wine tasting followed by the Craft Beer & Spirits Jam. The Grand Tasting main events will occur Saturday from 3–6 p.m. and Sunday from 1–4 p.m.

This year’s event will include more activations than ever before, allowing guests to interact with ambassadors from wineries, distilleries, breweries and eateries in convivial and engaging settings.

At the Grand Tasting, guests can sample from hundreds of varieties of wines from throughout the world, many of which stem from rare and impressive collections.

This year, the festival will have a focus on the increasingly popular Willamette Valley, Oregon, wines. The region is home to over 500 wineries with a unique focus on some of the world’s best Pinot Noirs.

More than a dozen Willamette Valley wineries and industry renowned winemakers will be pouring the best of Oregon wines for guests to experience in the featured Grand Tasting tent.

Additionally, Jackson Family Wines, a notable crowd favorite from the 2023 lineup, will be returning with an even larger presence at the Culinary Village and will be paired with care and finesse with a menu from the Wine World Restaurants.

“The wines poured are not your everyday wines, nor are the spirits,” said Stacey Brady, executive director of South Walton Beaches Wine & Food Festival. “We hope you experience something new, something you haven’t tasted before or always wanted to try. We hope you find your next repeat, go-to bottle for every day or a special occasion.”

The 2024 event will include four total seminars throughout the Saturday and Sunday Grand Tasting. The tasting seminars are presented by seasoned winemakers, chefs and distillers who impart their expert knowledge and samplings of unique flavor profiles.

“The seminars are immensely popular because they are an exciting, yet informative way to learn something new and taste something you’ve never experienced before,” Brady said.

Throughout the Grand Tasting days, guests can visit the Savor South Walton Culinary Village, which presents a pairing menu of delights from the Wine World restaurants. Additionally, Nosh Pavilions are located throughout the festival grounds, offering samplings from renowned restaurants throughout South Walton and Destin.

Musical performances will be provided by the Casey Kearney band and the Nashville Songwriters Showcase brought in by the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association.

Brady recommends attendees peruse the tasting program, released two weeks before the event to the SoWalWine.com website, to plan for tastings, activations and seminars they want to attend.

All events during the weekend raise funds for the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation, benefiting children’s charities located throughout Northwest Florida.

“Coming off of the 2023 event, we received such amazing feedback from attendees and industry professionals that we feel like we’ve hit our stride in terms of executing an amazing, world-class event,” Brady said. “We look forward to continuing that momentum while exceeding expectations in 2024.”

To purchase tickets and learn the latest, visit Sowalwine.com.

585 Grand Blvd, Miramar Beach | (850) 837-3099 ext. 203