Experiential Zones at the 2026 Del Mar Wine & Food Fest

At Del Mar Wine & Food Festival’s Grand Tasting, everyone has their own goals for the day. One friend wants oysters and Champagne. Another heard there’s line dancing. Someone disappeared into Taco Alley. The food person is making a beeline for every chef demo, the golf friend has found the simulator, and someone else is already settled into a beach chair with a mezcal cocktail and has announced they’re “never leaving.”

Consider yourself zoned in.

This year, the Grand Tasting turns the Del Mar Polo Fields into a full-blown foodie wonderland, with chef showdowns, wellness escapes, art installations, lawn games, music, and plenty of magazine-worthy plates. But the zones are where everyone gets to play their own way. You might sip your way through the SLO Zone, accidentally spend the afternoon behind the DJ booth in Plant Paradise, or live out your best beach day in The Beach Zone.

With 100-plus chefs and restaurants, 150-plus wineries, breweries, distilleries, and drink makers, plus a whole lot more happening in between, there’s no shortage of ways to spend the weekend. And with the Grand Tasting taking place October 3 and 4, there’s actually time to explore.

Because the problem with bringing your favorite people to an adult playground is that everyone wants to play differently. Luckily, you get two days to figure it out. Here’s where to start:

The Beef Experience

The Beef Experience, presented by Brandt Beef – One World Beef, is for the people who believe a food festival is a perfectly reasonable excuse to build an entire afternoon around meat. Brandt Beef brings its signature fare to the Polo Fields alongside a seriously stacked lineup of local favorites, from Tanner’s Prime Burgers and Ranch 45 to Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern, Order Fire Barbecue, Flying Pig Pub & Kitchen, The Pit BBQ, Aloha Rib Shack, and more.

And then there’s the tent you might almost miss.

Tucked into Brandt Beef Alley, Bebemos Tequila has set up what looks, from the outside, like a fairly unassuming tent. Walk inside, though, and you’ll find a full little speakeasy lounge, complete with a bar and one very dramatic tequila trick. The team lights the shots right in front of you before pouring them straight into guests’ mouths. Candlelight, fire, tequila, barbecue. Suddenly, your casual afternoon tasting has taken a turn.

Grab a plate of Brandt Beef tallow fries, chase it with a pour from Bebemos Tequila or Tap Truck San Diego, and maybe browse Nortte Hats while you recover. The rules are simple: follow the smoke, trust the grill, and maybe don’t make dinner plans afterward.

The Beach Zone

For the friend who thinks every good afternoon should involve a little sunshine, a cold drink, and nowhere to be, there’s The Beach Zone. Presented by Reef Lifestyle, this laid-back corner brings the San Diego summer fantasy to the Polo Fields, complete with coastal bites, beach-inspired brands, and plenty of reasons to stay awhile.

Grab bites from Duke’s La Jolla, Jake’s Del Mar, Lofty Coffee Co., Dang Brother Pizza Co., and Coral Del Mar, then cool off with Summer Club, Volley, Surfside Iced Tea and Lemonade + Vodka, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Mezo Mezoritas, Roseade Wine Spritzer, Pinkys, and more. Hemlock Hat Co., Coola, Sambazon, Playavole, Shibumi Shade, Spritz del Conte, and Out of the Woods add a little retail therapy to the mix, because the Grand Tasting obviously needs shopping, too.

And yes, there’s a photo op. Find the teal VW bus from A Timeless Day, gather your favorite people, and pretend you’ve spent the afternoon cruising the California coast instead of wandering around a wine and food festival.

It’s an area filled with surf-inspired games, your next favorite beach accessory, and a drink in hand. Basically, San Diego summer, condensed into one very convenient patch of grass.

Pride Zone

Neon boas, glitter-filled drinks, and enough food to make choosing a single dinner impossible. The Pride Zone presented by San Diego Pride is bringing the energy, gathering some of San Diego’s favorite restaurants, bars, breweries, and sweet spots in one very colorful corner of the Polo Fields. Expect bites and beverages from Cary Q Wines, Gossip Grill, Rootdown & Es Okay, T’Maro Brands, and more.

Plant Paradise

Plant Paradise is your green oasis, but don’t expect it to be particularly peaceful. DJ Tenax returns with house, techno, UKG, and the kind of set that can turn a quick stop into an hour on the open-air dance floor. As Green Air Botanicals sets the mood, grab a cocktail from Mission Craft Cocktails, Makku, or San Hagen Tequila, and a bite from the sprawling lineup of plant-based bites and snacks from some of San Diego’s vegan favorites.

Kindred, Nourish Eats, The Plot, Maya’s Cookies and more. There’s also a full lineup of brands to snack your way through, including Aficio 22, Bücha Hard Kombucha, Nichols Farms, Nuts For Cheese.

Locals Zone

The Locals Zone presented by Coola is essentially a greatest-hits album for the city. Grab a drink from Tap Truck San Diego, Boochcraft Organic Hard Kombucha, or Craft Cart, then make your way through pours from Milagro Winery, South Coast Winery Resort, and Ramona Valley Vineyards Association. Bitchin’ Sauce, Cafe Moto, Bubs Naturals, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, Pechanga Resort’s culinary team, and other local tried-and-trues round out the lineup, bringing a little taste of home to the Polo Fields.

Guests can discover local artists and creators while getting their own moment in the spotlight with a glam-bot-style photo experience, complete with a grass red carpet. It was part photo op, part recess, and very San Diego. 

The Matchday Experience

Ready to trade stadium seats for the Del Mar Polo Fields? The Matchday Experience Zone presented by San Diego Wave FC and San Diego FC brings full-on San Diego game-day energy to the Grand Tasting along with a lineup of local food, beer, and plenty of team spirit.

Grab a bite from Batch & Box, Buona Forchetta, Luna Grill, Novo Brazil Brewing Co., and more, then wash it down with Ballast Point, Cutwater, Nova Hard Kombucha or an Athletic Brewing Co. non-alcoholic brew. There’s even Nova Easy Kombucha for anyone pacing themselves for the rest of the festival.

With supporter tents, a photo and TV experience from A Timeless Day, and local teams and partners woven throughout the space, it has all the ingredients of a proper San Diego matchday. 

Spotlight on SLO

This zone is the road trip without the five-hour drive, which feels like a pretty good deal. A little slower, a little sunnier, and a whole lot of wine. Presented by Visit SLO CAL, the SLO Zone brings the Central Coast to the Grand Tasting with more than 20 wineries pouring across the Polo Fields. Start with familiar names like Ancient Peaks Winery, Austin Hope Wines, Tablas Creek Vineyard, Le Cuvier, Niner Wine Estates, and My Favorite Neighbor, then wander into smaller producers like Zanoli Wines, LXV Wine, The Fableist, Willow Creek Wine Co., Lopai Cellars, and more.

The zone stretches beyond the tasting glass, too. Visit Atascadero, Travel Paso, Experience Pismo Beach, Visit San Luis Obispo, and other local partners bring a little Central Coast daydreaming to the afternoon, while Taste! Craft Eatery adds something to snack on between pours. There’s even Smoke Revival Vintage Vault for a little vintage treasure hunting. It’s your mini escape to SLO, no road trip required.

Wellness Zone

Eventually, even the most committed festival-goer needs a reset. The Wellness Zone, presented by Novo Dia Wellness featuring Prana, is the Grand Tasting’s designated recharge station, with mocktails from Kamello, Purple Tree, üm, Remixed, GT’s Living Foods, and Pure Green, plus coffee from Tribe Coffee and bites from Parakeet Cafe. It’s a nice place to trade the tasting glass for something a little more refreshing before heading back into the food-and-drink frenzy.

OluKai, goodwipes, and Instant Hydration round out the lineup, because sometimes the difference between “I’m ready for another tasting” and “I need to sit down” is a fresh pair of sandals, a wipe, and some hydration. 

Taco Alley

For anyone who gets overwhelmed by too many choices, Taco Alley is your fail-safe. Start at the cantina where presenting sponsor Milagro tequila will be mixing up cocktails and sip on wines from Bonterra Organic Estates, then get straight to the important part: tacos from Puesto and Nómada, plus a crunchy contribution from Chipz Happen.

It’s casual, delicious, and exactly the kind of place where you tell yourself you’ll just have one taco before immediately ordering another. Start with a margarita from Milagro Tequila, a cocktail featuring The Botanist, or a pour of Bonterra, then get straight to the important part: tacos and Mexican bites from Alchemy – Choose Thy Poison, El Pueblo Mex, La Corriente, Taconora, Tacotarian, Birrieria y Menuderia Guadalajara, Chuy’s Taco Shop, La Pesca Cevicheria Baja, City Tacos, Nómada, Coastal Cantina, and more.

There’s also Chipz Happen for a little crunch, Kyla Hard Kombucha for something cold, Rancho La Gloria for a splash of sweetness, Pasmosa Sangria for the vino crowd, and Stone Brewing for the beer drinkers.

BBQ Zone

If your ideal festival itinerary involves smoke in the air and whiskey in your glass, the BBQ zone presented by Pendleton Whiskey has your name on it. BootScootin line-dancing moments and TNT Q & Catering are bringing the barbecue spirit and country feel to the Grand Tasting, with plenty of grilled goodness to keep the afternoon moving. Come in ravenous, and leave smelling faintly like a backyard cookout. We consider that a souvenir.

Spotlight on Santa Barbara

Presented by Visit Santa Barbara, this zone brings a serious lineup of Central Coast producers to the Grand Tasting, from longtime names like Fess Parker Winery, Foxen Vineyard, Hitching Post Wines, and Santa Barbara Winery to smaller producers like Tercero Wines, Kessler-Haak Wines, Story of Soil, Sapien Wine, Future Perfect, and Rooted Vine Cellars.

With more than 20 wineries pouring, it’s the kind of zone where you can start with a familiar bottle and leave with a new favorite you’ll be Googling before you even make it home. Santa Barbara Vintners, Pali Wine Co., Amada Cellars, Sweetzer Cellars, Press Gang Cellars, CrossHatch Winery, Mi Casa Wine Company, Native9, 10 Ninths, and Sea Creatures Wine round out the lineup.

And if you’re making the rounds, don’t stop here. Pair the Spotlight on Santa Barbara with the SLO Zone and you’ll have access to more than 40 wineries across just these two zones alone. Pace yourself (or don’t!).

The Tee Box

For the friend who would rather trade a tasting glass for a golf club, head to The Tee Box. Presented by Daou Vineyards, the Tee Box features Bushmills and Maestro Dobel, the PGA Tour’s official whiskey and tequila, while playing your way through the SD Pop Up Mini Golf and Dryve Box’s golf simulation experience. It’s also a convenient place to settle an important question: Was that missed putt actually bad, or were you simply distracted by the wine?

The Italian Getaway

One Aperol spritz in and suddenly you’re mentally booking a flight to Italy. We’re bringing a little Italian escapism to the Grand Tasting with an Aperol-fueled activation featuring bites from Civico 1845, Capri Gelato, and more, plus a photo op from A Timeless Day and a little help from our friends Scott Dunn Italian Excursions and Thundercloud Creative.

Plus, there’s a car! Find the 1961 red Beetle on the lawn, grab your spritz, and take the photo. For the afternoon, at least, the Amalfi Coast is a very convincing walk away. Come for the food and wine. Accidentally plan an international vacation. Your group chat may already be naming the trip.

Visit Reno Tahoe

You probably know Reno Tahoe for gaming, Lake Tahoe, and ski season. Its culinary scene deserves some attention, too. Visit Reno Tahoe is bringing the destination’s “Land of No Limits” energy to Del Mar with an aviation-inspired experience that offers a taste of what’s happening beyond the casino floor.

Expect destination-inspired food and drink, plus a few reminders that Reno Tahoe is as much about mountain adventures and culinary discoveries as it is about blackjack tables. With 10 Torr, Ikon Pass, and Local Food Group joining the experience, this is your chance to get a little taste of Reno Tahoe without leaving the Polo Fields.

More Exclusive Experiences

Meet the Makers

Join Tequila Ocho for its “Meet the Makers” Moment with fifth generation tequila producer Fany Camarena. Sip from Spain’s prized wine producing region with a variety of Rioja wines or from one of Central Coast’s top producers with wines by Justin Vineyards & Winery. Relax in the shade provided by Shubumi Shade or have a refreshing moment with LaCroix, the official sparkling water of Del Mar Wine & Food Fest.

The Stage

Maybe you want to eat your way through the Grand Tasting. Maybe you also want to see what happens when some of the country’s most recognizable chefs take the stage.

Hosted by MasterChef winner Claudia Sandoval, The Stage keeps things moving with live cooking, conversation, competitions, and plenty of opportunities to steal a trick or two for your own kitchen. Across the weekend, chefs Aarti Sequeira, Kelsey Murphy, Tara Monsod, Tommy Gomes, Jeff Roberto, and others will make appearances, with Alaska Airlines presenting the programming.

There’s even some friendly competition on the schedule. Bebemos Tequila will host a beverage competition, followed by awards with festival co-founders and owners of San Diego Magazine, Troy and Claire Johnson. Basically, it’s the one place at the Grand Tasting where watching someone else make food might actually convince you to go home and cook something yourself.

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