A delicious showcase of some of the region’s top wines and culinary talent, the North Coast Wine & Food Festival returns to the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa on Saturday, June 13.

Presented by The Press Democrat, the event will feature the gold and double gold-winning wines from the 2026 North Coast Wine Challenge — the publication’s annual wine competition — and seasonal bites from 17 restaurants across the region.

In April, the North Coast Wine Competition brought together 30 judges who blind-tasted more than 1,000 wines from 220 wineries. Eligibility was limited to those produced with fruit from the North Coast appellation, which spans Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, Lake, Solano and Marin counties.

The North Coast Wine & Food Festival will highlight more than 100 of the top-scoring wines, including Grey Stack Cellars’ 2023 Grenache from Sonoma Mountain —the competition’s Best of Show winner.

This year’s menu highlights include grilled Tomales Bay Oysters with smoky black garlic from Mable’s Restaurant & Patio, herbed smoked trout dip with Tsar Nicoulai trout roe from Rocker Oysterfeller’s, shrimp and grits from Lil Sista’s Goody’s, scallop dumplings with pancetta and sherry butter and chile-marinated shrimp with pickled cucumber salad from Corner Bar and Playa.

Lo & Behold, Songbird Parlour, Guiso Latin Fusion, Goldfinch, Willi’s Wine Bar and Sweet T’s Restaurant are also not to be missed.

Wine tips

You’ll be hard-pressed to find an unworthy wine at the North Coast Wine & Food Festival.

Grenache fans won’t want to miss Grey Stack Cellars’ 2023 Sonoma Coast Grenache — the competition’s top overall winner — which also earned Best of Show Red and Best of Sonoma County. Rumor has it the winery will also be pouring its Best of Show Rosé winner.

Deodora Estate, whose 2023 Sonoma Coast Riesling has won Best of Show White Wine for two years running, is also a worthy stop, as is Ra Ra Wine Co.’s sweepstakes-winning 2025 Dry Gewürztraminer, Dry Riesling and Melon de Bourgogne.

For reds, be sure to seek out AMPL’s Best of Napa County winner Proprietary Red Blend, Ektimo Wines’ 2023 Cabernet Franc from Alexander Valley and Judge Palmer’s To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley.

The North Coast Wine & Food Festival is from 1-4 p.m., Saturday, June 13, with VIP entry at noon.

Tickets are $78 (designated drivers), $143 (general admission) and $237 (VIP entry). For tickets and additional information, visit northcoastwineandfood.com. Use code CHARDONNAY for a $20 discount.