The beach communities of 30A provide a gorgeous destination for you to spend a festive weekend indulging in fine wines and culinary delights with the many wine and food festivals held throughout each year.
The wine festivals in this area are truly an unforgettable experience, offering beautiful days strolling through beachside neighborhoods and sipping wine. When evening rolls around, they bring beautifully crafted dinners paired with exquisite vintages.
What are the Best Wine Festivals on 30A?
We've compiled a list of the top wine and food festivals on 30A where you can experience a variety of different white wines, warm-bodied rich red wines, and sparkling bubbly throughout each year. The variety of wine festivals on 30A showcase superior quality wines, celebrity chefs, beautiful pairings, and live music. You’ll also be happy to know each festival supports local charities.
30A Wine Festival at Alys Beach
Every February the beautiful community of Alys Beach comes alive for an exquisite 30A wine festival. This upscale wine festival includes a full five-day schedule of celebrations. Festival attendees will enjoy fine wine tastings paired with unique flavors prepared by the fabulous culinary team. The Grand Tasting is the centerpiece of the 30A Wine Festival showcasing 80 fine wines and small bites, allowing you to explore wines from all over the globe.
You will enjoy enchanted evenings of festival events such as Oysters and Champagne and Tapas and Tequila where fine wine, rich flavors, and live music meet. There are mixology seminars, a gospel brunch, and Rosé and Croquet. Bourbon, Beer & Butts is a perennial favorite with local barbecue, beer, and bourbon tastings taking center stage. This is a casual affair, flat shoes are recommended for ladies as there is a bit of walking involved, and remember to wear your croquet whites on Sunday for the croquet tournament.
The 30A Wine Festival is a proud supporter of the Children’s Volunteer Health Network, a nonprofit dedicated to providing access to health services for children in Walton and Okaloosa counties. There is a silent online auction open to the public with 100% of its proceeds going directly to Children's Volunteer Health Network.
South Walton Food & Wine Festival at Grand Boulevard
Each April, South Walton presents a wine festival featuring over 600 worldwide wines and delicious food. You can enjoy one day to sip and savor or stay and enjoy all four days of the festivities. The festival is located throughout Grand Boulevard’s Town Center, on multiple streets and lawns. This is a huge event that you will not want to miss.
The festival kicks off with Winemakers and Shakers, followed by craft beer and Spirits Jam the following day. Saturday and Sunday of the festival are the Grand Tastings. There will be celebrity guests, dishes prepared by South Walton’s favorite chefs, live music, seminars, a retail tent, and a culinary village all along Grand Boulevard.
The belief that doing good things one sip at a time is engrained in South Walton’s Food & Wine Festival’s Mission. All proceeds from the South Walton Food & Wine Festival support the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation, benefiting local children’s charities in northwest Florida.
Harvest Wine Festival at Watercolor
Wine enthusiasts can experience quality wine tastings and culinary delights at this four-day wine festival each October. Held at Cerulean Park in the Watercolor community off 30A, the Harvest Wine Festival includes a variety of activities, entertainment, food, and fine wine. Guests can stroll through the tents tasting a variety of fine wines and enjoying numerous cocktail seminars. There are silent auctions during the festival, and attire is resort casual.
You can also enjoy attending cocktail brunch and wine dinners featuring an evening of elevated wines and unlikely pairings hosted by culinary chefs. Harvest After Dark, a lively festival favorite includes wine tastings, live music, and smokey-infused cocktails. The mission of this festival is to bring wine enthusiasts together to raise money to benefit children in need in northwest Florida.
Rosemary Beach Uncorked
Eat. Drink. Be Rosemary. This rich experience takes place in November along the cobblestone paths of Main Street in Rosemary Beach. Local restaurants provide delectable culinary creations accompanied by what seems unlimited fine wines. You will enjoy live music while you savor the tasting notes in each wine you taste. Retail bottles are available for purchase by the bottle and case.
There is a huge variety of pairings and walking pours. Attendees will enjoy delectable pairings such as specialty Italian wine paired with Chocolate Goddess Bark, Sauvignon Blanc paired with fresh gulf ceviche, Pinot Noir paired with red wine braised snails, and Chardonnay paired with Key Lime tarts and so much more. Rosemary Beach Uncorked proudly supports local charities including Habitat for Humanity of Walton County and Point Washington Medical Clinic.
Seeing Red Wine Festival in Seaside
During the fall, you can experience red, white, and rosé at this annual celebration for wine connoisseurs. This festival is highly anticipated and annually sells out, so plan early to attend. Fodor’s Travel calls the Seeing Red Wine Festival in Seaside,“One of the Top 10 Can’t-Miss Fall Wine Festivals.”
The fun-filled weekend includes The Grand Tasting featuring over 250 wines.You can enjoy strolling through Seaside’s Central Square sipping an extensive array of highly sought-after wines worldwide.
Distinguished restaurants showcase their farm-to-fork and Gulf-to-table offerings, which pair beautifully with the featured wines at the festival. Attendees will enjoy an array of hors d'oeuvres paired with fine wines, Southern Artisan Chocolates as well as live music on the lawn. The Celebration of Bubbles features sparkling wines, including Champagne, Cava, and Prosecco with a delicious brunch. VIP ticket holders enjoy access to the VIP lounge and meet and greets with featured wine celebrities personally signing bottles of their premium wines.
Charity Wine Auction & Walkabout features wines, food stations, live music, bloody barys and mimosas. The event is enhanced by a silent auction, featuring items such as rare wines, exclusive dinners, vacation packages, and local artwork. Proceeds from the Seeing Red Wine Festival are presented to the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation, which supports 14 local nonprofits for children in need in Northwest Florida.
A Beach Vacation and a Wine Festival: The Perfect Pairing
Whichever 30A wine festival you choose to enjoy, you’re sure to have a memorable time at one of these singular food and wine events. Just like pairing the perfect wine with delicious food, it's important to pair your vacation with the perfect host. Panhandle Getaways has beautiful homes on 30A to accommodate you and your guests. Book your stay with us, and let's toast great times ahead. Cheers!