
The Seeing Red Wine Festival pairs the world’s best wines with Seaside’s finest foods. Photo by STM Photography
Bottles of reds and whites are arriving daily, waiting to be uncorked, as the 29th Annual Seeing Red Wine Festival is fast approaching. 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 and Food Festivals.”
Beginning Nov. 7 and going through Nov. 10, Seeing Red is a four-day wine event held in Seaside. A sell-out event, the festivities include reserve wine tastings, dinners and a brunch with featured guest winemakers. Several of Seaside’s famous restaurants will feature carefully selected farm-to-fork and Gulf-to-table dishes to pair beautifully with the featured wines.
Seeing Red festivities kick off Thursday, Nov. 7, at 6:30 p.m. with the traditional Vintner’s Dinner at Bud & Alley’s Waterfront Restaurant. Reservations for this event can be made directly with the restaurant by calling (850) 231-5900.
The Al Fresco Reserve Tasting in picturesque Ruskin Place takes place on Friday night with 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.
For information, visit The Seeing Red Wine Festival website.

This year’s Seeing Red Vintner dinner will be held at Bud & Alley’s Waterfront Restaurant on Thursday, Nov. 7. A reception begins at 6:30 p.m. and dinner follows at 7 p.m. Photo courtesy Bud& Alley’s Waterfront Restraunt
Park and Ride
Guests can take shuttles to and from Seaside for the event. The Seeing Red Wine Festival is offering complimentary shuttles to all guests at the new county public lot on Highway 283 in Grayton Beach. Shuttles will run continuously allowing guests the opportunity to arrive early, stroll through Seaside and stay late for dinner following the event.