Del Mar Wine & Food Festival centers Grand Tasting

San Diego Magazine’s August 6 guide to the 2026 Del Mar Wine & Food Festival framed the event around one anchor attraction: the Grand Tasting weekend on October 3 and 4. The publication said the broader festival runs as a week of ticketed events in and around Del Mar, pairing large-format tastings with chef dinners, beverage seminars and other smaller gatherings. The festival’s own website describes the event as a weeklong celebration of Southern California food and wine capped by a two-day Grand Tasting. Tickets are already on sale, according to the festival site. ### What exactly is the Grand Tasting? The Grand Tasting is scheduled for Saturday, October 3, and Sunday, October 4, at Surf Sports Park in Del Mar, according to the festival website. Del Mar Wine & Food Festival says the event is the point “where the festival comes to life,” with guests moving through food and drink stations across the grounds. (sandiegomagazine.com) Festival organizers say each day’s Grand Tasting will include more than 100 chefs and restaurants serving signature bites alongside more than 150 wineries, breweries, distilleries and other beverage makers. San Diego Magazine described the centerpiece in broader terms as hundreds of bites and pours spread over two days for thousands of guests. (delmar.wine) ### How does the rest of the week fit around that main event? The 2026 festival is set for September 30 through October 4, according to the event homepage. The Del Mar site says the week includes VIP experiences, chef tastings and other ticketed programming before the weekend tasting closes the run. San Diego Magazine said those smaller events are being positioned as the more intimate side of the festival. (delmar.wine) Its August 6 guide highlighted chef dinners and guided tastings as alternatives to the larger weekend crowds, giving attendees a way to choose between broad sampling and more focused experiences. (delmar.wine) ### Which events are already listed? The festival ticket page lists a September 30 opening-night party at Monarch Ocean Pub, an October 1 “Rioja Uncorked” event at Rancho Valencia, and an October 2 celebrity pickleball tournament benefiting Feeding San Diego at Barnes Tennis Center. The same page also lists a JUSTIN wine dinner on October 2 with chefs Kaitlyn Weber, Buddha Lo and Jackson Kalb, plus an official after-party on October 3 at the Guesthouse Hotel at La Valle. (sandiegomagazine.com) The festival’s headliners page says the 2026 lineup includes chefs, Food Network personalities and drink makers, though the event guide and ticket pages are where the schedule is being updated in practical detail. ### Where is the festival steering people to go? Surf Sports Park is the named site for the Grand Tasting, and the festival’s planning page directs visitors coming by train to use Amtrak or Surfliner service to Solana Beach and then take a rideshare. (delmar.wine) The same planning page points travelers to San Diego International Airport for out-of-town arrivals. (delmar.wine) San Diego Magazine’s guide presents the event as a regional draw rather than a single-venue fair, with programming spread across Del Mar-area hospitality venues before the weekend tasting gathers the largest crowd. ### What should someone watch next? October 3 and October 4 are the two dates to watch if the question is what defines the 2026 festival. (delmar.wine) The Grand Tasting day pages, the all-events listing and San Diego Magazine’s August 6 guide are the main public places where the schedule, participating chefs and ticket options are being detailed ahead of the September 30 opening. (sandiegomagazine.com)