Tag: Santa Barbara

Sip & Savor: The California Wine Festival Returns This April

California, California Wine, Sustainable wineries, Uncategorized, winery

Dana Point’s most anticipated wine weekend is almost here! California Wine Festival brings two days of premier wine tasting, gourmet food, ocean views, and live entertainment back to Orange County. The two-day festival will take place on Friday, April 25 and Saturday, April 26, 2025, at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa and the Sea Terrace Park, set above the picturesque Dana Point Harbor.

Event Details

Sunset Rare & Reserve Tasting

Friday, April 25 | 6:30 – 9 p.m.

Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa

Guests will enjoy a sunset wine-tasting experience featuring rare and reserve wines from top producers across California. The evening includes a sparkling wine reception, gourmet pairings, live music by Adam Lasher, and a charity auction benefiting Sandy Feet Initiative.

Beachside Wine Festival 

Saturday, April 26 | 1 – 4 p.m. 

Sea Terrace Park

The signature outdoor tasting event features wines from 60+ California wineries, bites from top OC restaurants, and a Caribbean soundtrack from steel drum band Upstream.

Festival Highlights

  • Participating Restaurants: Aquamar, Bluewater Grill, Brio Tuscany Grille, Butterfly Brittles, Chipz Happen, Cookie Stop, Farm Fresh Home Foods, Gemmell’s Restaurant, Glasspar Restaurant, Gino Angelini Authentic Italian Sauces, Goufrais Southern California – Cocoa Confection, Horizon Sales, Icelandic Glacial, IMURAYA, Inferno Woodfired Pizza Kitchen, Jars-Sweets 7 Things, Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern, Kerrygold USA, Krave Asian Fusion, Lantern’s Edge @ Laguna Cliffs Marriott, Lunaolivo,, p.o.p. candy co., Savory Bites, Seven Barrels Olive Oils and Aged Italian Balsamics, Sundried Tomato Bistro and Catering, The Real Empanada, Waterloo Sparkling Water, Wild Fork Foods and Zood.
  • Featured Wineries: Adobe Road Winery, Archer Roose Wines, Arden, Ascension Cellars, Atlas Peak, Austin Hope Winery, Banshee, Bellante Family Winery, Beri, Bezel from the Cakebread Family, Bianchi Winery, BONDLE Wines, Burtech Family Vineyard, Carol Shelton Wines, Chalk Hill, Chateau St. Jean, Cuvaison, Don Tomas Vinedo, Double Bond Wine, Ehret Winery, Familia Hicks Wines, Foley Family Wines & Spirits, Frisby Winery & Brewery, Goldschmidt Vineyards, Harvey and Harriet, Hawk and Horse Vineyards, High Flyer Wines, Juliet Wine, King Frosch, Kubani Wines, Le Vigne Winery, Lorenzi Estate Winery, Michael Mondavi Family Wines, Mizel Estate Wines, Navarro Vineyards, New Zealand Wine Navigator, Norso, Pascual Toso, Pasmosa Sangria, Priest Ranch, PRP Wine International, Puppy Love & Compassion, Quench + Temper, Ramona Valley Vineyards, Rombauer Vineyards, San Simeon, Stoller Wine Company, Tara Bella Winery, The Vinho, Vinera Wine Society, Wine Guy & Wine Gal, Ysidro.
  • Sponsors: Wine Spectator, Sommsation, Icelandic Water, Wild Fork Foods, Piper Sonoma, Renewal by Andersen,Hilton Garden Inn Dana Point Doheny Beach and Realm.

California Wine Festival is a 21+ event. Tickets for California Wine Festival Dana Point are available for pre-sale here. For more information, please visit CaliforniaWineFestival.com. 

About California Wine Festival

California Wine Festival celebrates the fine wines and culinary offerings of California. A nationally recognized event series, it aims to showcase the beautiful wines, foods and landscapes of California. Founded in 2004 in Santa Barbara, the California Wine Festival has grown to become one of the largest outdoor wine festivals in the state. Committed to sustainability, 90% of the waste from the festivals was diverted from the landfill in 2024. The festival has also raised funds for local charities across California, including the Foodbank of Santa Barbara, Sandy Feet Initiative and more. Join us at our four coastal festivals in Dana Point, Carlsbad, Santa Barbara and Huntington Beach:

2025 Event Schedule

For more information, visit CaliforniaWineFestival.com and follow us on social media: 

By the Mountains or the Sea: Three Great Luxury Resorts

California, Resorts

Go beyond generic and experience the unique with stays at one or more of three distinctive Spire Hospitality properties: The Leta in Santa Barbara, CA, Topnotch Resort in Vermont and High Peaks Resort in Lake Placid New York. 

The Leta

If your idea of the ultimate Southern California retreat is longboards, poolside cocktails and coastal cuisine, we’ve got the place for you. The Leta is the kind of place with the ultimate Golden State of Mind/California Living attitude. So chill and enjoy the California groovy touches such as the surf-inspired décor, and eclectic accommodations, live music scene and VNYL record shop.

Ideally located, 158-room resort is prized for its cool, hip, carefree Californian personality along with it’s artful, quirky, unexpected, open and soulful chemistry. Local art, music, food and wine are at home here and the hotel boasts 6,000 square feet of meeting space welcoming locals and out of town guests alike for one-of-a-kind meetings and events.

Designed with an easygoing, California-cool aesthetic, The Leta’s artful guest rooms and suites channel the radiant spirit of SoCal featuring earthy, eccentric textures and fabrics with a nod to surf-culture nostalgia. This charming beach chic hotel in Goleta also welcomes pets. 

High Peaks Resort

High Peaks Resort in the heart of Lake Placid is the perfect home base for exploring the Adirondacks. Guests can choose from three unique lodging experiences overlooking Mirror Lake and the Adirondack mountains: The Resort, a traditional hotel featuring 105 newly renovated guest rooms; the modern retro-vibe Lake House with 44 guest rooms; and the private and serene Waterfront Collection, featuring 28 guest rooms including 10 suites on the shores of Mirror Lake. 

Amenities available to all guests include two indoor and two outdoor heated pools, an indoor Jacuzzi, an on-site fully equipped fitness center, the Spa & Salon at High Peaks Resort, and Dancing Bears Restaurant, consistently ranked one of the top restaurants in Lake Placid.

Guests also enjoy private access to Mirror Lake with complimentary use of kayaks, paddle boats and stand-up paddleboards, special activities such as yoga at the waterfront and birds of prey demonstrations, an outdoor barbecue, a fire pit (with complimentary s’mores), lawn games, sweeping views of the Adirondack mountains and close proximity to the region’s top attractions and activities such as the Lake Placid Olympic Sites, Whiteface Mountain, The Wild Center in Tupper Lake, High Falls Gorge, Ausable Chasm, and numerous hiking trails, kayaking, boating and more in the Adirondack Park.

High Peaks Resort is also within walking distance to shopping, dining and entertainment in downtown Lake Placid. Dogs are welcome, with special canine-friendly treats and amenities. 

Topnotch Resort

The AAA Four-Diamond Topnotch Resort is a glorious place to stay. Set on 120 acres of woodland at the foot of Mount Mansfield, it’s located between historic and charming Stowe village and Stowe Mountain Resort as well as within 35 miles of four other popular ski resorts: Smuggler’s Notch, Sugar Bush, Mad River Glen and Bolton Valley. Topnotch includes 68 guest rooms and 17 two- and three-bedroom resort homes that allow for a private and very socially distant experience. 

Guests enjoy Vermont fresh farm-to-table dining at The Roost, the Topnotch Tennis Academy (ranked one of the top 10 tennis resorts in the country offering more than 30 programs for all ages and levels of play on six seasons outdoor and four indoor hard courts), the 35,000 square foot award-winning Topnotch Spa, three indoor and outdoor heated pools, indoor and outdoor Jacuzzis, the Equestrian Center at Topnotch (offering English and Western trail rides, private and group horseback riding, carriage rides and sleigh rides), Mountain Ops Outdoor Gear (an on-property outfitter which can arrange and outfit for any activity year-round, including mountain biking, hiking, kayaking and fishing in the summer), outdoor fire pits with s’mores kits, shuffleboard and other games, specialty cocktails, access to the Stowe Recreation Path and more.

Dog friendly, Topnotch provides Fido with the finer things a canine deserves such as dog beds, CBD treats and special canine-friendly turndown service and spa treatments. Just a short drive from Topnotch, Stowe Village is worth the trip. Peruse the many locally owned shops (a personal favorite is Laughing Moon Chocolates) and art galleries, check out the locally sourced offerings at village restaurants, admire the 18th and 19th century architecture, explore the outdoors in a variety of ways such hot air balloon rides and kayaking, and take in a show at the Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center. 

About Spire Hospitality

Spire Hospitality, led by CEO Chris Russell, is a third-party operator of 7,033 room keys and over 350,000 square feet of meeting space across 20 states. The Spire portfolio, with a focus on large, full-service hotels, includes unique independent properties and premier branded assets across Hilton Hotels & Resorts (HLT), Marriott International (MAR) and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), including 29 hotels and resorts. Spire Hospitality offers expertise in all facets of hospitality management and is committed to preserving, protecting and enhancing the value of hotel real estate. www.spirehotels.com.