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Best Wine Festival: Philbrook Wine Experience

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Winning charity event features wine auction with rare selections

There's a reason Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, is often depicted as quite the partier. Wine makes a good festival even better. 10Best teamed up with a panel of wine industry experts to nominate the best wine-centric celebrations in the U.S., and for the past four weeks, our readers have been voting for their favorites. 

  • Philbrook Wine Experience
    Tulsa

    This biennial fundraising weekend benefits the Philbrook. Festival attendees can meet with international vintners, sample bites from regional restaurants and bid on hard-to-find bottles in a wine auction.
    Photo courtesy of Philbrook Wine Experience

  • Finger Lakes Wine Festival
    Watkins Glen, N.Y.

    For three days each July, some of the best Finger Lakes wineries come together in Watkins Glen for a weekend of fun in the sun, live music, cooking demos and the largest showcase of wines from New York state. More than 80 wineries attend the event at Watkins Glen International.
    Photo courtesy of iStock / ViewApart

  • Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta
    Santa Fe

    This five-day festival each September showcases the culinary and wine culture of Santa Fe. Some 90 wineries from around the nation partner with 75 Santa Fe restaurants for cooking demos, wine seminars, luncheons and dinners, culminating in a Grant Tasting at the stunning outdoor Santa Fe Opera.
    Photo courtesy of Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta

  • Triangle Wine Experience
    Raleigh, N.C.

    The Triangle Wine Experience, founded in 1992, brings three days of wine events to Raleigh. The festival includes dozens of winery dinners, a grand auction, wine gala and wine store tastings, all to benefit the Frankie Lemmon School & Developmental Center.
    Photo courtesy of iStock / ViewApart

  • The Garagiste Festival
    Paso Robles, Calif.

    This three-day wine festival hosted four times per year in Paso Robles, Solvang, Sonoma and Los Angeles celebrates small-production winemaking – wineries and vineyards producing under 1,500 cases per year. In addition to the main festival, smaller events throughout the year include mini tastings and festivals focused on specific production areas, like the Santa Ynez Valley.
    Photo courtesy of The Garagiste Festival

  • Nat Diego
    San Diego

    Nat Diego, entering its third year in 2019, is a celebration of natural wine where festival goers can meet with winemakers and advocates of natural wine. Events over the three-day festival include producer seminars, a grand tasting and a ladies night.
    Photo courtesy of Nat Diego

  • 30A Wine Festival
    Alys Beach, Fla.

    Florida’s 30A Wine Festival will return for its ninth year in early 2020. This five-day celebration benefiting the Children’s Volunteer Health Network features a wine dinner, barbecue and bourbon tasting, tasting seminars, a grand tasting, brunch and a croquet tournament, all set in the beautiful community of Alys Beach.
    Photo courtesy of 30A Wine Festival

  • Naples Winter Wine Festival
    Naples, Fla.

    This annual winter festival benefitting the Naples Children & Education Foundation is a three-day celebration that includes vintners dinners, a live wine auction, live music and a celebration brunch. The star-studded lineup often includes talent like Thomas Keller, Emeril Lagasse and Charlie Palmer.
    Photo courtesy of Eric Statchan / Naples Winter Wine Festival

  • Telluride Wine Festival
    Telluride, Colo.

    For the last 39 years, June has brought the Telluride Wine Festival to this Colorado mining town. The four-day event features wine pairing dinners, reserve and grand tastings, seminars and movie screenings. Revenue from the event goes to support regional farmers, educational organizations and culinary and hospitality businesses.
    Photo courtesy of Telluride Wine Festival

  • Winesong
    Fort Bragg, Calif.

    Winesong celebrates its 35th year in 2019 with two days of wine and food tastings and a charity auction on the Mendocino Coast. A highlight of the weekend is A Pinot Noir Celebration, bringing together 35 wineries at the intimate Little River Inn overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
    Photo courtesy of Winesong

The top 10 winners in the category Best Wine Festivals are as follows:

  1. Philbrook Wine Experience - Tulsa
  2. Finger Lakes Wine Festival - Watkins Glen, N.Y.
  3. Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta - Santa Fe
  4. Triangle Wine Experience - Raleigh, N.C.
  5. The Garagiste Festival - Paso Robles, Calif.
  6. Nat Diego - San Diego
  7. 30A Wine Festival - Alys Beach, Fla.
  8. Naples Winter Wine Festival - Naples, Fla.
  9. Telluride Wine Festival - Telluride, Colo.
  10. Winesong - Fort Bragg, Calif.

A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to pick the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote.

Congratulations to all these winning festivals!

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AlertThe Experts

Jill Barth

Jill Barth

Jill Barth

Jill Barth

Jill Barth is a contributor for Forbes digital and USA Today 10Best. She’s also a Provence Wine Master Level through the Wine Scholar Guild, a Symposium for Professional Wine Writers Fellow and the founder and author of the award-winning blog, L'Occasion.

Shana Clarke

Shana Clarke

Shana Clarke

Shana Clarke

Shana Clarke is a freelance wine, sake, and cocktail journalist based in New York City. Her work regularly appears in a variety of consumer and trade publications, including NPR, Fortune, Wine Enthusiast, Playboy, HuffPost, Hemispheres, USA TODAY 10Best and SevenFifty Daily, among others. She is also the Wine Editor for inside.com. Shana holds a Level 3 Advanced Certification from Wine & Spirits Education Trust, served as a judge and a writing mentor at the TexSom International Wine Awards, and is a Certified Sake Sommelier. Follow her on Instagram at @ShanaSpeaksWine and see more of her work on www.shanaspeakswine.com.

Ziggy Eschliman

Ziggy Eschliman

Ziggy Eschliman

Ziggy Eschliman

Ziggy Eschliman is among America’s most enthusiastic, authoritative and entertaining libation experts. For 23 years, Ziggy has set and reported trends in wine, spirits and all things to imbibe. Her wine country lifestyle brand, ZigStyle, embraces the art of life, entertaining, cocktails, wine and gardening. Her award winning radio shows have a long time loyal following and are broadcast on FM stations and stream worldwide. Her writings are featured in lifestyle and libation based publications. She is a lead judge in international spirits and wine competitions. Ziggy is a dynamic guest speaker, educator and presenter. ZigStyle is embraced in all she does and is a welcome, catching organic approach to our busy lives.

Karen MacNeil

Karen MacNeil

Karen MacNeil

Karen MacNeil

Karen MacNeil is the only American to have won nearly every major wine award given in the English Language. These include the James Beard award for Wine and Spirits Professional of the Year and the International Wine and Spirits award as the Global Wine Communicator of the Year. In a full-page profile on her, TIME Magazine called Karen, “America’s Missionary of the Vine.” In 2018, Karen was named one of the “100 Most Influential People in Wine.” Karen is the author of the award-winning book, THE WINE BIBLE, the single best selling wine book in the United States praised as “A masterpiece of wine writing.” THE WINE BIBLE has sold more than one million copies.

June Rodil

June Rodil

June Rodil

June Rodil

Born in the Philippines and raised in Texas, June is one of 26 women in the Americas to earn a Master Sommelier credential. She joined Goodnight Hospitality as a partner in 2019 and will open three new concepts with the Houston-based company within the year. Most recently, June was VP of Operations for McGuire Moorman Hospitality, a hospitality group with 10 restaurants in Austin and one in Aspen. She remains a partner in June’s All Day, her namesake restaurant that was named one of Food & Wine magazine's Restaurants of the Year in 2017. She is known as a leader in the beverage community and her accolades include: Wine Enthusiast’s Sommelier of the Year 2018; Wine Enthusiast 40 Under 40 2016; Key Panelist at Women in Wine Leadership Symposium and numerous Food & Wine Festivals across the nation; Food & Wine magazine's Sommelier of the Year 2014, Star Chef's Rising Star Sommelier 2012, Wine & Spirits Best New Sommelier 2011 and TEXSOM Best Sommelier Winner 2009.

Dynie Sanderson

Dynie Sanderson

Dynie Sanderson

Dynie Sanderson

Dynie is the creator of NapaFoodGalTravels and has been a food, wine and travel journalist living and indulging in life in the Napa Valley and around the world for over 25 years. She was founder, publisher and editor of GuestWest Magazine, Napa Valley’s first luxury lifestyle magazine; Food and Flavor Editor for Napa Valley Life Magazine and contributor to a variety of food and wine publications. Always seeking out the next wine region to experience around the US and around the world to add to “Dynie’s Delicious Destinations.” Follow NapaFoodGal on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

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