Garagiste Wine Festival: 8th Annual Urban Exposure - June 17, 2023

You'll find out why USA Today named The Garagiste Festival the "#1 Best Wine Festival in America" when you discover over 40 of the best, hard-to-find, high-quality micro-production wineries from all over California at The 8th Annual Garagiste Festival: Urban Exposure held once again in Glendale, CA.

The majority of our wineries do not have tasting rooms, cannot be found on "wine country" maps, and their wines can be very hard to find on store shelves. We make it easy for you to find a world of new wine discoveries all under one roof.

As with all Garagiste events, only the winemakers and/or owners (often the same person) will be pouring the wines. Come meet the artists who are making some of the most exciting and innovative wines in the world. And no snobs allowed!

• Limited ticket sales so no waiting 15-20 minutes for a taste! Spend less time standing and more time exploring these amazing wines. Plenty of space within the venue to promote social distancing.
• Indoors with A/C so you are comfortable and the wines aren't warm...and you don't get sun-burned.
• Open seating for all ticket levels, so you can relax a bit between tastes and ponder what you've been enjoying.
• A Silent Auction filled with the good stuff - great wine! Want to take some vino home? This is a great way to find amazing bottles.
• Complimentary cheese & charcuterie board, and bottled water!
• Plenty of onsite parking for just $6

COVID-19 PROTOCOLS: Garagiste Festival attendees agree to follow all current Los Angeles County guidelines for COVID-19 at the time of the event in June 2023. Ticket sales are limited and wineries spaced out to allow for maximum social distancing. The auditorium is well-ventilated and air-conditioned. We will keep you updated as it gets closer to the event regarding any changes to County policies.

ALL EVENTS at Glendale Civic Auditorium - 1401 North Verdugo Road, Glendale, CA

SATURDAY - JUNE 17th - Please note different starting times below...

VIP ALL-ACCESS & SEMINAR: 11:30am-12:30pm

The day begins with one of the most popular features of the Garagiste Festivals, its engaging, educational and unique winemaker panel and tasting seminars.

An Exploration of the Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVA

What makes Garagistes so unique is their passion to create wines that push the boundaries, utilize unusual grapes or rare vineyard locations. In this Seminar we will be focusing on Santa Barbara County and the little-known AVA of Happy Canyon. Located in the easternmost end of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA, north and west of Lake Cachuma, the Happy Canyon sub-AVA is the warmest micro-climate in this region and thus able to branch out from the usual Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which dominate the Santa Barbara wine scene. In this seminar we will taste and learn how other varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and even Grenache found their home in Happy Canyon and what makes the wines from this under-the-radar, up-and-coming AVA so special.

Panelists include Dusty Nabor (Dusty Nabor Wines), Anna Lancucki (Final Girl Wines) and Jessica Gasca (Story of Soil).

*The seminar is only available as part of the Saturday VIP ALL ACCESS TICKET, which also includes a Box Lunch and extended access to the Rare & Reserve Hour (from 1-2pm).

ONLY 50 SEATS AVAILABLE

EARLY ACCESS: Come early and get to taste the best of their best, as our wineries treat our Early Access guests with over 40 library, club only or reserve wines, only being poured during this special time period. The festival’s Grand Tasting follows from 2-5pm with an additional 100+ wines featuring over 25 different varietals.  These tickets are limited to ensure Early Access guests enjoy a more personal, less-crowded tasting experience. 150 Tickets Available.

GRAND TASTING: Join us from 2-5pm and taste with over 40 winemakers pouring 150+ wines and 25+ varietals. Complimentary cheese and charcuterie will be provided, as well as food samples from local artisan vendors including Boccabella Farms Olive Oil and LAs own Letterpress Chocolates. Bottled water will also be provided along with a keepsake crystal logo glass from Stolzle.

Our “All Wine” Silent Auction will be going from 1-4pm and is the ONLY way guests can take home these amazing wines. Don’t miss out on these unique bottles and special offerings from your favorite wineries! All proceeds from the auction go to support the Garagiste Scholarship Fund at Cal Poly SLO.

 VIP All Access (11:30am-5pm) 

Early Access (1-5pm) 

Grand Tasting (2-5pm)

You must be over 21 years of age to attend any Garagiste Festival event. NO infants, strollers, or animals allowed in the event building. No Exceptions. Tickets are non-refundable, but transferable. All sales are final.