Cheers

The Seeing Red Wine Festival connects wine lovers with wine experts by Seaside Arts and Entertainment

Celebrating its 29th Anniversary, the Seaside Seeing Red Wine Festival has slowly gone back to the good ‘ol days of the event. Focusing more on a boutique style festival, with more interaction between guest and winemaker, the weekend features a carefully curated selection of wines paired with delectable bites from Seaside eateries.

“As we saw the festival grow, both in quantity of tickets and wines, we felt like the event was getting further and further away from the original spirit when the Davises and Dave Rauschkolb held the first one decades ago,” says Events Director Kevin Boyle. “We wanted to bring the focus back to wine and the guest experience. So we decreased the total amount of tickets sold and worked very closely with our distributor partners to create a list of wines that folks would love.”

Paired with that curated wine list are winery owners, winemakers, estate directors, national sales managers and other VIP partners. “The goal is for there to be a genuine connection between the guest, the wine and someone who has a lot of knowledge of that wine,” Boyle adds.

This refocus of the festival seems to be paying off. Forbes Contributor and Wine Enthusiast Travel Editor Lauren Mowery recently named the Seeing Red Wine Festival as “One Of The Best Under-The-Radar Wine & Food Festivals.” This recognition was a welcome surprise for Boyle. “It is not easy to hit reset on a festival that has been around as long as Seeing Red, but we have gotten great feedback, especially from last year,” Boyle explains. “With us bringing back the Al Fresco Reserve Tasting in picturesque Ruskin Place on Friday night, we’re looking forward to this year being even better.”

Thursday night features the Vintner Dinner at Bud & Alley’s Restaurant at 6:30 p.m. Reservations for this event can be made directly with the restaurant.

Friday’s Al Fresco Reserve Wine Tasting, from 6 to 8:30 p.m., takes place in beautiful Ruskin Place. An elegant evening showcasing a carefully curated selection of reserve wines, featuring exclusive vintages. Winemakers and other vintner VIPs will be pouring these amazing wines. An array of hors d’oeuvres prepared by Chef Jim Shirley’s culinary team will pair perfectly with the featured wines. Enjoy live music under the stars on a beautiful fall evening in Ruskin Place.

Saturday’s Grand Tasting, from 1 to 4 p.m., takes over Downtown Seaside. With more than 130 quality wines for tasting curated by Seaside’s own restaurants and eateries, guests can enjoy hand-selected food offerings chosen by Seaside’s popular and well-known local chefs, as well as live music and the opportunity to purchase wines on site. VIP Attendees will have access to the VIP Tent starting at 12:30 p.m.

Sunday wraps up the weekend with a Celebration of Bubbles Brunch, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. in Ruskin Place, as sparkling wine enthusiasts explore Champagne, Cava, Prosecco and more, alongside a perfectly paired menu by Chef Jim Shirley.

If you don’t have tickets, feel free to walk around Seaside and enjoy the festive atmosphere. Shuttle service will be available with free parking at the county lot on Highway 283 in Grayton Beach. Shuttles will be running from 7 a.m. until midnight.

Tickets, lodging information, and more event details can be found at SeeingRedWineFestival.com