The Del Mar Wine & Food Festival has wrapped its fourth edition, which ran as a weeklong celebration across San Diego County from September 30 to October 4. The center of it all was the Grand Tasting, a two-day event held on Saturday, October 3, and Sunday, October 4, at Surf Sports Park — the former Del Mar Polo Fields — at 14989 Via De La Valle in Del Mar. It brought together more than 100 chefs and restaurants alongside 150-plus wineries, breweries, distilleries and beverage makers, with a food lineup that ran from Wagyu burgers and beef tallow fries to yellowfin tuna toast and a spread of seafood dishes. The drink pairings leaned on Aperol Spritz, Hendrick's Gin, Tequila Ocho, Mezcal Vago, Rioja wines and producers from Temecula, and a VIP lounge added small plates and pairings into the mix.
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Tickets were tiered by access time and perks, and everyone had to be 21 or older. General admission started at $185, with one-day passes running from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm and two-day passes covering both the 3rd and 4th. Early Access began at $235, opening an hour earlier at 12:00 pm, with two-day passes at $375. VIP started at $425 for a one-day pass that opened at 11:30 am and included pre-experiences, exclusive vendors and access to the VIP area, while VIP weekend passes began at $765.
The Grand Tasting wasn't the only stop. The week opened on Wednesday, September 30, with the "Signature San Diego" event at Monarch Ocean Pub, which leaned into seafood from Baja to Mexican flavors. On Friday, October 2, Drew Brees hosted a celebrity pickleball tournament at the Barnes Tennis Center at 4490 W Point Loma Blvd from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm — an all-inclusive tasting fundraiser for Feeding San Diego with a lineup that included James Blake, Brett Tomko, Eric Byrnes, Shawn Walker, Andy Buckworth, Aaron Clancy, Miles Doughty and Brian Malarkey, among others, with tickets ranging from $125 for spectators to $600 to play with pro athletes. Saturday night closed with the official After Party at Guesthouse La Valle in Rancho Santa Fe from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm, a $150 ticket that paired a walking tasting and cocktails with collaborations from chefs Beau MacMillan, Kelsey Murphy and Shellie Robinson.
The chef roster read like a Food Network roll call: Jet Tila, Maneet Chauhan and Aarti Sequeira; Top Chef winner and Michelin-starred Buddha Lo; former Iron Chef Beau MacMillan; MasterChef winner Kelsey Murphy; MasterChef Latinos winner Michelle Mathelin; Guy's Grocery Games judge Catherine McCord; MasterChef Mexico judge Benito Molina; former Top Chef Jackson Kalb; Michelin-starred Drew Deckman and Javier Plascencia; James Beard award winner Brady Ishiwata Williams and nominee Mawa McQueen. Partners included Alaska Airlines, Aperol Spritz, Brandt Beef, Coola, Glenfiddich, Hendrick's Gin, Justin Winery, La Croix, Mezcal Vago, Milagro Tequila, One World Beef, Pechanga Resort Casino, Rioja Spain's Finest Wine Region, San Simeon, Tequila Ocho, The Balvenie, Tito's Handmade Vodka and Tullamore D.E.W.
Behind the tasting, the festival has raised $100,000 to date for Feeding San Diego, the nonprofit it partners with. Established in 2007, Feeding San Diego rescues food to help those facing hunger, and in 2025-2026, 89% of the food it provided to the community was rescued. Between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026, the network distributed more than 43.1 million pounds of food, against a backdrop of nearly 430,000 people facing hunger in San Diego County.
Published Date
7 October 2026
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