Grand Tasting Event

Date:          November 21, 2009
Time:          11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (VIP, TRADE & MEDIA ONLY)
Time:          12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.   (Open to public)  

Note:           All alcohol will stopped being served at 3:45 pm 

Price:            $125 (in advance)    $150 (at festival)
                      $150 (early entry)      $175 VIP   (Early entry, Gift Bags, and VIP tent access, not available onsite)

Location:      Embarcadero Marina Park North -Behind Seaport Village

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The Grand Finale of the sizzling five-day festival is the star-studded Grand Tasting Event held November 21 on the Embarcadero Park North behind Seaport Village.  Take in the beautiful San Diego Bay and enjoy the ocean breeze as you partake in the largest, most talked about wine and food festival in Southern California. 
Note: This Event Sold Out last year...

As we like to say, its glass clinking, celebrity watching, swishing, swirling, mouth watering kind of fun!  This year you will enjoy:

170 Wine & Spirit Purveyors
With over 700 different wines being poured at this year’s Grand Tasting we challenge you to pick out just one favorite!  Taste from a wide range of domestic and international wineries, discover new labels to add to your home collection, and visit old favorites.

70 of San Diego’s Top Chefs
Your inner foodie will be in heaven as you taste cuisine from over 60 of the city’s most talented chefs as they pull out all the stops to wow you for their chance to win over $50,000 in cash and prizes! 

Gourmet Foods, Art & More!
As if 70 chefs weren’t enough we’ve also brought together just over 30 gourmet food companies for you to nosh your way through. 

Chef of the Fest: The “Chef of the Fest” competition is an action-packed culinary showdown involving all chefs during the Grand Tasting event on November 21. Chefs compete in one of five categories and are judged by a panel of local and national celebrity chefs, authors and members of the food and wine media. Through a tiered judging process, one chef is selected as the best representation of innovative, fresh, flavorful cuisine and crowned “Chef of the Fest” walking away with up to $50,000 in cash & prizes and some serious bragging rights.

Cookbook Author Signing:   Celebrity chefs will be on hand in the Border's Bookstore book tent to autograph copies of their best selling cookbooks.

Live Entertainment:   Live musical performances will take place on both ends of the Festival.

Charity:   Proceeds from auctions at the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival benefit the American Institute of Wine & Food (AIWF) culinary arts scholarship programs. AIWF Scholarship