Written by Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association
TASTE Weekend Events: Make It a Weekend
There are weekends you make plans for, and then there are weekends worth planning around.
TASTE: The Livermore Valley Wine Experience returns October 15–18, bringing four days of incredible wine, food, people, places, and experiences together throughout Livermore Valley Wine Country. And while Thursday evening’s Taste Our Terroir officially kicks off the festivities, that’s really just the beginning.
From cheese and chocolate to books and bubbles, vineyard walks and speakeasies, Cabernet and country music to sourdough and grape stomping, Friday through Sunday offer 12 completely different ways to experience Livermore Valley.
So our advice? Don’t pick just one.
Make it a weekend.
Come for the wine, stay for the food, meet the people behind the bottles, explore a vineyard you’ve never visited, dress up for a night out, spend Sunday lingering over brunch, and discover a side of Livermore Valley Wine Country you may not have experienced before.
Here’s what’s waiting for you.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16
Cheese, Chocolate & Cheers!
11:30 AM – 1:30 PM | Del Valle Winery | $90
A cheesemonger, a chocolatier and a winemaker walk into a barrel room…
This is how TASTE Friday begins.
Del Valle Winery, Garré Vineyard & Winery and Fenestra Winery join forces with The Cheese Parlor and Bluebirds Chocolate for a six-course tasting adventure featuring three wine and cheese pairings followed by three wine and chocolate pairings.
Winemaker Aaron Luna, cheesemonger Brandon Wood and chocolatier Larissa Milano will guide guests through each pairing, exploring the flavors, textures and stories that make wine, cheese and chocolate such very good friends.
It’s indulgent, educational and a pretty delicious way to start the weekend.
A Taste of Stories
3:00 – 5:00 PM | Word on the Street Bookstore | $55 General Admission / $75 VIP (Sold out and only one ticket left for general admission)
Books, wine and food come together for a literary happy hour in downtown Livermore.
A Taste of Stories takes six acclaimed books by female authors and brings them off the page through creative food and wine pairings. Each book has been selected by Word on the Street owner Linda Maggi and paired with a dish from a local female chef and a wine from a female-led Livermore Valley winery.
Participating wine professionals include Celeste Cassa of Del Valle Winery, Jessica Carroll of JMC Cellars, Meredith Sarboraria of Rodrigue Molyneaux, Heather McGrail of McGrail Vineyards & Winery and Salomé Taylor of Retzlaff Vineyards, with dishes from Tiana Megofna of The Mego Kitchen, Amanda Skog of Beyond the Table, Jill Victor of On the Vine Catering and Kim Gamble of Lanna Thai.
VIP guests will also receive a Word on the Street/Women’s Wine Collective bag and a paperback copy of one of the featured books.
Consider this your happiest possible happy hour.
Click Here for Event Details – Sold Out
Cattle, Cabernet & Country
6:30 – 9:30 PM | McGrail Vineyards & Winery | $95
Time to trade the book bag for your boots.
Friday night heads out to wine country for Cattle, Cabernet & Country, an evening celebrating three things Livermore Valley knows pretty well: great wine, agriculture and a good time.
The night features Livermore Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc alongside ranch-inspired bites, local beef partners and live country music. Participating wineries include Cellar 13 Winery, Darcie Kent Estate Vineyards, JMC Cellars, McGrail Vineyards & Winery, Pruett Estate Farms Winery, The Steven Kent Winery and Wente Family Vineyards.
Come ready to taste, meet local ranching partners and dance under the stars.
Country western and Nashville-inspired attire is encouraged, so this is your chance to break out the boots, denim, fringe or whatever makes you feel ready for a Friday night in wine country.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17
Clear the calendar. Saturday has plans for you.
Taste YOUR Terroir: A Guided Vineyard Tour, Tasting & Picnic
10:30 AM – 12:30 PM | Casa de Viñas Vineyard | $65
Saturday starts where every great bottle of wine begins: in the vineyard.
Legendary Livermore Valley grape grower Julio Covarrubias invites guests into Casa de Viñas Vineyard for an intimate look at grape growing, farming and winemaking.
Walk the vineyard, hear Julio’s story, learn about the farming practices behind the wines, and taste wines produced from the very vineyard blocks surrounding you. You’ll also meet some of the winemakers working with the fruit before settling beneath a shady vineyard oak for a picnic lunch and, naturally, a little more wine.
It’s a rare opportunity to get beyond the tasting room and closer to the land, and the people behind what’s in your glass.
Sip the World
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM | Martinelli Event Center | $45
How about a trip around the wine world without leaving Livermore?
The Global Artisan Vintners Alliance brings its international tasting experience to TASTE Weekend with wines representing Livermore Valley, Baja California, Croatia, Italy, France and the Texas Hill Country.
Taste your way through different regions, grape varieties, winemaking traditions and styles while enjoying small bites and discovering just how much a wine can tell you about where it comes from.
No passport required.
Beads, Bottles & Bites: A New Orleans Afternoon in Livermore
1:00 – 4:00 PM | Fenestra Winery | $80
Saturday afternoon is going to New Orleans.
Fenestra Winery transforms into a little slice of the Crescent City with wine, food, beads, palm readings and authentic live music from Saint Gabriels Celestial Brass Band.
Wines from Fenestra Winery, The Steven Kent Winery, Sakura Winery and Pruett Estate Winery will be poured throughout the afternoon alongside New Orleans-inspired bites.
Stroll the grounds. Listen to the brass band. Have your palm read. Find out whether great wine is in your future.
Spoiler: it is.
From Vine to Glass: An Estate Tasting at Murrieta’s Well
4:30 – 6:30 PM | Murrieta’s Well | $65
As afternoon turns toward evening, slow things down with an immersive estate tasting dedicated to two varieties that tell an important part of Livermore Valley’s story: Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc.
Surrounded by the estate vineyards at Murrieta’s Well, guests will explore the history and character of these celebrated Livermore Valley Signature Varietals while tasting different expressions and hearing from Niki Wente and winemaker Alec Fraser.
The experience includes wine tasting with cheese and charcuterie and offers a chance to understand not just how these wines taste, but why these grapes have such an important connection to Livermore Valley. Only a few seats are available, so get them while you can!
Barrels & Bootleggers: A Speakeasy Wine Affair
7:00 – 10:00 PM | Concannon Vineyard Event Center | $125
Saturday night calls for a little glamour and perhaps a little mischief.
Step back into the 1920s for Barrels & Bootleggers, an immersive speakeasy-style affair featuring standout Livermore Valley wines, elevated pub fare, live music and plenty of reasons to hit the dance floor.
Arroyo Cellars, Concannon Vineyard, Cuda Ridge Wines, Del Valle Winery, McGrail Vineyards & Winery and Murrieta’s Well will be pouring throughout the evening, with entertainment from Hella Fitzgerald with Meredith McHenry and food from On the Vine Catering.
Flapper dresses, feathers, fedoras and your best Gatsby-inspired looks are highly encouraged.
The password?
Great wine.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18
Sunday is not the day to rush home.
Not yet.
Bubbles, Brunch & B-Sides
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM | Almost Famous Wine Company | $75
Bubbles. Brunch. Vinyl.
We’re listening.
Sunday morning turns up the volume with a celebration of Livermore Valley sparkling wine featuring six local producers and an impressive lineup that includes Blanc de Noir, Blanc de Blanc, Sparkling Rosé of Malbec, Sparkling Grüner Veltliner, Sparkling Barbera and Pet Nat Rosé of Grenache.
Each wine is paired with a classic Rock & Roll album, and guests will hear from the owners and winemakers about the inspiration behind both the wine and its musical match.
Almost Famous Wine Company, Darcie Kent Estate Winery, Fenestra Winery, Murrieta’s Well, The Steven Kent Winery and Wood Family Vineyards will be pouring, while Zephyr Grill provides a brunch buffet to accompany the bottomless bubbles bar.
Favorite band tee? Fringe? Leather jacket?
Wear it.
Stomp, Pour & Pair at Shanti
12:00 – 2:00 PM or 2:00 – 4:00 PM | Shanti Winery | $49
It wouldn’t be harvest season without getting your feet a little dirty.
At Shanti Winery, guests can literally step into harvest with a traditional grape stomp using fruit sourced from the vineyards surrounding the winery.
Afterward, taste three estate-grown red wines- Cabernet Sauvignon, Barbera and Sangiovese, alongside artisan charcuterie from The Grazing Cart by Mrs. B and handcrafted chocolates from Bluebirds Chocolate.
Between pours, take in the golden hills, wander among the vines, snap a few photos and enjoy a slower afternoon celebrating wine, food, harvest and the simple pleasure of being in wine country.
And yes, there are two sessions, so you can work this one nicely into your Sunday plans.
2 Winemakers, 1 Aromatic Journey
1:00 – 3:00 PM | Las Positas Vineyards | $65
Same grapes. Same vineyard. Two winemakers.
Very different wines.
This intimate tasting explores the world of aromatic white wines with a particular focus on Albariño and the way winemaking decisions can transform fruit from the same vineyard into two distinctly different expressions.
Guests will taste side-by-side wines from Cellar 13 Winery and Las Positas Vineyards, along with additional aromatic whites and a selection of small bites.
It’s a fascinating way to finish the weekend for anyone who has ever wondered just how much influence a winemaker has on what ultimately ends up in your glass. This is a very intimate event and only a few tickets left!
One Weekend. A Lot of Ways to TASTE Livermore Valley.
That’s the beauty of TASTE Weekend.
There isn’t one way to experience Livermore Valley Wine Country.
You can walk the vineyards with the people who grow the grapes. Talk with winemakers about what’s in your glass. Pair wine with cheese, chocolate, books, brunch and fresh sourdough. Dance to country music on Friday and step into a 1920s speakeasy on Saturday. Stomp grapes on Sunday afternoon or spend the morning drinking bubbles while listening to classic vinyl.
Or better yet, do a little bit of everything.
TASTE: The Livermore Valley Wine Experience takes place October 15–18, 2026.
Pick your favorites, grab your tickets, book a place to stay and give yourself the whole weekend to explore.
Because once you’re here, one day in Livermore Valley Wine Country probably isn’t going to feel like enough.