One could argue that every month is wine month in California, but September’s California Wine Month is especially magical. Whether you’re a serious oenophile or a newbie looking to learn more about different varietals, dozens of events in different wine regions across California—from regional festivals to vineyard tours and tastings with winemakers—let you savor the best of Golden State winemaking during harvest season.
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What Is California Wine Month?
California Wine Month isn’t so much an event as it is a month of celebrations. After all, it would be impossible for a single event to capture the sheer scale and diversity of the California wine scene. With more than 4,800 wineries in 39 American Viticultural Areas scattered over more than 800 miles—from tiny Seiad Valley just south of the Oregon border to the sprawling South Coast AVA that reaches all the way to Mexico—California produces 81 percent of the wine made in the United States.
Throughout the month of September, wineries and wine regions across the state celebrate with special tastings, vineyard tours, winemaker dinners, grape harvest experiences, food-and-wine pairings, and live music. Many destinations also host wine walks, festivals, educational seminars, blending workshops, and behind-the-scenes tours that offer a closer look at the winemaking process. Whether you're planning a weekend in Napa Valley, a road trip through Gold Country, or a tasting tour along the Central Coast, California Wine Month is an ideal time to discover new wineries and revisit old favorites.
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Where Is California Wine Month Happening?
The geographic range and variety of events during wine month mean that you’ll need to plan ahead. The good news is that the state’s biggest metropolitan areas and airport hubs—San Diego, Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento—all put you within a couple of hours or less of several different wine regions, from Napa Valley and Mendocino County in the north to Amador County in Gold Country down to Temecula Valley east of San Diego.
It’s also easy to pair Wine Month celebrations with trips to major California destinations. On the way to Yosemite National Park from the Bay Area or Sacramento, for instance, you can follow the Madera Wine Trail into one of the country’s oldest grape-growing regions for visits to small, family-owned wineries.
Just over an hour north of San Francisco, Sonoma County is—no surprise—one major center for Wine Month, with activities at individual wineries as part of its year-round Pour & Explore series; during September, that includes a special Zinfandel event and the Access Alexander Valley Wine Week. Fun fact: Sonoma County produces more Pinot Noir than any other county in the state.
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California Wine Month Events
When planning your trip, consider some of the bigger events taking place during California Wine Month, as well as some of the larger participating regional Wine Month programs:
- Alexander Valley Wine Week (Sept. 21–27)
- Crush (date TBD, Temecula)
- Temecula Wine Harvest Weekend (Sept. 19–20)
- Two Harbors Wine Fest (Sept. 12, Catalina Island)
- Lodi Grape Festival (Sept. 17–20)
- L.A. Wine Fest (Sept. 12–13)
- Sonoma County Harvest Experiences (all month)
- Tast of Sonoma (all month)
- Valley of the Moon Vintage Festival (Sept. 25–27, Sonoma)
- Pour + Explore - Zinfandel (Sept. 17, Sonoma)
