Garagiste Wine Festival marks 15th anniversary in Paso Robles
Event includes rare and reserve tasting, seminar, and live music
– The Garagiste Wine Festival will celebrate its 15th anniversary in Paso Robles on Nov. 7 and 8 at the Paso Robles Event Center. More than 50 micro-production wineries from across California will pour over 200 wines during the two-day event, which includes a rare and reserve tasting, educational seminar, live music, and local food vendors.
The festival, founded in Paso Robles in 2011, highlights independent, small-lot winemakers who produce 1,500 cases or fewer annually. The event has been called “America’s Best Wine Festival” and takes place in Paso Robles, which has also been named “America’s Best Wine Region.”
“Paso is not just our home base, it is core to the garagiste ethos (or, as we call it, the ‘Gospel of Garagiste’) which embraces innovation, a renegade spirit, a down-to-earth approach, and, most importantly, brilliant small-lot wine-making and delicious wines,” said Garagiste Festival co-founder Douglas Minnick.
New participating wineries this year include Amalgam Wines, Chateau Margene, Deux Seraux, Grosso Kresser Estate, Kiler Canyon Vineyard, La De Vi Wines, Landsby Wines, Mustard Creek Vineyard, Terranean Wines, and Uncommon Earth. They will pour alongside returning Paso Robles and Central Coast winemakers representing more than 25 grape varieties.
Minnick said the festival remains focused on its roots. “While both the Paso wine scene, and our festival, have grown in renown and size since we launched our first festival here in 2011, staying close to our roots has been key to our success,” he said. “And this is exactly what attendees will discover as we celebrate our 15th anniversary by showcasing the new (and some old) vintages and styles our veteran garagiste winemakers have been nurturing, while also introducing a new crop of emerging micro-production winemakers.”
This year’s seminar, “Understanding Oak Varieties: Tasting the Winemaker’s Spice Rack,” will take place Nov. 8 and will be led by local winemaker and barrel expert Ryan Render. The session will explore how oak varieties influence wine flavor and aging. It will be moderated by festival co-founder Stewart McLennan.
“No one knows more about oak and barrel than Ryan Render who has years of experience working with leading barrel-making companies and is himself a winemaker whose wines have been featured at The Garagiste Festival since the very first Paso event in 2011,” McLennan said. “Ryan will share the secrets of the ultimate winemaker’s spice box with attendees, enhancing their understanding of wines and expanding their palates as they taste some terrific oak-influenced wines.”
The festival schedule includes:
Friday, Nov. 7: The Rare & Reserve Tasting begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Paso Robles Event Center, featuring exclusive library and barrel samples, vintage verticals, and a buffet from Steins BBQ & Catering.
Saturday, Nov. 8: The oak seminar starts at 11:30 a.m. for VIP ticketholders, followed by the Grand Tasting at 2 p.m. (1 p.m. for early access ticket holders). More than 50 winemakers will pour over 200 wines, with cheese and charcuterie from Vivant Cheese and a silent auction benefiting the Garagiste Scholarship Fund. The Keep It Rockin’ After Party runs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. with live music by Burning James & The Funky Flames.
Sunday, Nov. 9: Garagiste Passport Day offers special deals at participating local tasting rooms for festival ticketholders.
Proceeds benefit the Garagiste Festival Scholarship Fund at the California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo Wine and Viticulture Department.
Tickets are limited and available at my805tix.com.
For more information and the full schedule, visit garagistefestival.com/paso-robles-nov-2025.
