Think you know what California wine is all about?  Embrace “garagiste” and discover a whole new dimension, free-spirited winemakers with boundless passion and limited funds, who strive to put their own spin on California wine, while breaking the rules.  Experience it all in one place, at the 7th annual “The Garagiste Wine Festival: Urban Exposure”, held at the Glendale Civic Auditorium, over two days, Friday and Saturday, July 22-23.  This is a great opportunity, if you’re looking for something different in your wine glass, and willing to venture off the beaten path, beyond the scope of conventional Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Courtesy of Garagiste Wine Festival, mWEBB Communications

Courtesy of Garagiste Wine Festival, mWEBB Communications

The Garagiste Wine Festival: Urban Exposure 2022 introduces city wine lovers to the hard-to-find wonders of California wine country, from almost every AVA.  These innovative wines, crafted with passion and skill by under-the-radar winemakers, are rare and unusual, not just small production, but micro-productions of 1500 cases or less.  Most of these wineries don’t have tasting rooms, so this is a fabulous opportunity to taste and interact with the winemakers themselves.  And most importantly, to discover new wine gems for your home cellar, while supporting the visionary small producer, recreating some of California’s historical wines and pioneering new interpretations of others.

Punching down Syrah, Courtesy of Tomi Cellars

Courtesy of Cypher Wines

Courtesy of Zanoli Wines

Ferguson Family Wines, Courtesy of Garagiste Wine Festival

You might ask, what is a “garagiste”?  Originally, the term was used in the Bordeaux region of France to belittle small production winemakers who rejected the established rules of the region, and often worked out of their garage.  Here in California, these wine pioneers also think outside the box, producing small lots of premium wines, crafted by hand, often with different and painstaking winemaking techniques than commercial wine producers.  These rebel winemakers experiment with the unexpected, but always follow their inner winemaking voice and passion

Courtesy of Garagiste Wine Festival, mWEBB Communications

This year’s Garagiste Wine Festival: Urban Exposure takes place over two days, Friday and Saturday July 22-23, at the Glendale Civic Auditorium.  Friday night kicks off the festival with a “No Repeats Rare and Reserve” party, which is an exclusive (only 200 tickets) tasting of 50 different Library, Club and Pre-Release bottles, plus some barrel samples, accompanied by a taco buffet catered by Ibarra Catering and Eating.  Saturday’s schedule includes a tasting seminar, “Ancient Techniques in Modern Times” for VIP ticket holders and then an afternoon Grand Tasting, featuring over 40 winemakers pouring 150+ wines from 20+ grape varietals.  Cheese and charcuterie will be provided, along with artisan food samples and a souvenir Stolzle wine glass.  Tickets are available online.

Courtesy of Garagiste Wine Festival, mWEBB Communications

Garagiste Wine Festival Co-founder Doug Minnick is excited about Saturday’s tasting seminar, pointing out that “What is old is new again … this seminar proves that with tastings of delicious wines vinified with techniques inspired by the past.  Many of these techniques are labor-intensive and time-consuming, relying on a true ‘hands-on-every-barrel’ approach that typifies Garagiste winemaking.”

Courtesy of Light of Day winery

The Garagiste Wine Festival is recognized as one of the best wine festivals in the country, and besides Los Angeles, other versions have been sold out in the past year, from Paso Robles, Solvang, and Sonoma.  And you can feel good about attending.  The non-profit Garagiste Wine Festival donates its proceeds to the Cal Poly Wine & Viticulture Program, based in San Luis Obispo, which supports the education of budding winemakers and others training for wine industry jobs.  Garagiste Festival co-founders Stewart McLennan and Doug Minnick are passionate about connecting these cutting edge winemakers with wine lovers who seek out the novelty of the unknown, the fringe element before it becomes chic.

Carignan, Courtesy of Boonville Road Wines

Courtesy of Wander-Must Wines

Courtesy of Topophilia Wines

Full of character and wonder, these hard-to-find wines are awaiting your discovery.  And if you live in Los Angeles, it’s a wine country trip without the cost of gas!