Capital Wine Festival - Albany

Empire State Wine Events brings back the Capital Wine Festival in 2026. Sample wine, spirits, and food from 40+ vendors.

Wine, spirits, food, music, and fun.

Enjoy unlimited samples of wines and spirits from across New York state's fantastic wine regions. Purchase your favorite bottles for take-home and we will store them in the holding area until you are ready to leave.

There will be food to purchase and eat on site as well as to sample. There will also be a few partner vendors selling personal care items or crafts.

In addition to sampling and shopping, you can enjoy:

* The Paint and Sip attraction.

* DJ with with FREE photo booth.

* Wine glass with insignia for you to use for sampling and then to take home afterwards.

There are two sessions, so purchase your ticket for either Session 1 ($30), which is from 1pm-4pm, or Session 2 ($35), which is from 6pm-9pm, or the VIP ticket ($40), which gets you into the second session an hour early at 5pm. VIP tickets are also limited, so you will be able to enjoy sampling with a smaller crowd and shorter lines during the first hour.

We will sell designated driver (DD) tickets for $10 at the door. DDs can participate in all activities except alcohol sampling. Must be 21+ to attend and all attendees will be proofed at the door.