There are days in Los Angeles, where one can say: “This is why I LOVE Los Angeles.”  Saturday, June 5th, was one of those days. With skies clear as a bell, this warm and sunny spring day was pitch perfect for Los Angeles’ annual LA WineFest.

The L.A. WineFest, held at the Raleigh Studios in Hollywood every June, is getting bigger and better every year. Upon entrance, we were provided with a program showing an amazing amount of vendor participation. The vendors ranged from small family owned vineyards to larger global wine importers. The producers and importers showcased wines from less familiar regions such as South Africa, Uruguay, and New Zealand in addition to our own well-known California wines from Sonoma and Napa Valley, Paso Robles and Santa Ynez. The entrance fee of $65 per person or $100 per couple is a little steep for our economic times, but it was well worth it given the sheer number of available tastings and booths.

The event was well attended with wine lovers making their way from booth to booth of each vendor. For an additional charge, special classes were available for wine and cheese pairing, sake tasting and wine seminars  The overall atmosphere was very relaxed and enjoyable, the wines varied and the purveyors were all knowledgeable and friendly.  This was not your typical wine snob tasting event.  The main ingredient here was “FUN.”

Our strategy (which seemed good at the time) was to sample whites and rosés at every booth, eat at the food court and then go back to each booth and try the reds.  After making our way through the first part of our plan, we stopped by the food court. Though the food booths (numerically) paled in comparison to the wine booths, they were all of extraordinary quality.  We settled on the gourmet grilled cheese sandwich and Jamaican jerked chicken booths a much needed food break.  The grilled cheese sandwiches were served in halves so you could try different cheeses.  I had the manchego and goat cheese combination, while Ken had the manchego and cheddar cheese combo (his, of course, included a generous helping of bacon) He also tried a Jamaican jerked chicken sandwich which he said was “amazing.”  There was a small sitting area where guests could eat and rest.  There was also an in vogue food truck with organic desserts offered by various local restaurants and a small live music band for some entertainment.

There were also some specialty booths with traditional nosh parings for wines, including Italian bruschetta, salad with special vinaigrette dressing, delicious flavored chocolates, and a wide variety of cheeses. And if you wanted to taste something else than wine, you could stop by a couple of booths from locale breweries and some distilled spirits.

All in all, the L.A. WineFest is an annual event not to be missed and will soon be a staple in our small community of Los Angeles. 

As always, when attending wine tastings, we encourage our readers to enjoy the event responsibly and make arrangements for safe driving when leaving the event.

For more information about the next L.A. WineFest visit: www.lawinefest.com

By Kristie Reeves and Ken Simms