The Festival of Undiscovered Grapes Gains Popularity
​April 21, 2026

The Festival of Undiscovered Grapes kicked off their third and best annual celebration yet in March, with hundreds of wine lovers looking to “Be Bold. Drink Different. Taste Original.”, the theme of the festival that is gaining steam and popularity. With a brand new look, this wine tasting event is gaining fans and making a mark on the winescape of Los Angeles.

Gerardo Espinosa, owner/winemaker for Anaya Vineyards, explains the carbonic process for his Tempranillo

Thacher Winery & Vineyard has channeled their wild side for many years

​More than 60 wineries participated, pouring many wines made from lesser-known grape varieties, grown in California. Have you heard of Bourboulenc, Dornfelder or Kerner? How about Cabernet Pfeffer, Picpoul Blanc or Valdiguie? Even for us avid wine explorers, probably not. In California, the land of wine grapes aplenty, of the 110-plus unique varieties grown here, only nine are widely known, and they populate 93% of the state’s vineyards. Here, at the Festival of Undiscovered Grapes, the other 7% are celebrated, with smaller winemakers and producers singing their praises.

Rob Sinton of Starfield Vineyards, with their new sparkling Blanc de Blancs

Christina Lopez, winemaker for Aquiesce, makes stunning Rhone-style white wines

These wineries are definitely a passion project, mostly family-owned and operated, and producing wines on a smaller scale. Here at the Festival, where often the owners/winemakers pour for you, they happily share what makes their wines so special, and encourage wine lovers to try something different. It’s truly a journey of discovery, uncovering lesser known wine grape varieties, some made even in an unusual way, such as the Anaya Carbonic Tempranillo.

(L-R) Allison Levine and Eva Crawford at The Festival of Undiscovered Grapes, Credit: Sandoval Media

The festival is also a passion project for Allison Levine, whose extensive wine journeys around the world fueled the drive to spotlight California's incredible bounty of unsung grapes. Her agency, Please The Palate, partnered with Eva Crawford, “The Axis of Eva”, known for her expertise in creating brand campaigns, to get the word out about this unique wine festival.

MS David Glancy of the San Francisco Wine School

Stuart Spencer, Executive Director of the Lodi Winegrape Commission

VIP ticket holders were treated to a pre-tasting talk with Lodi Winegrape Commission's Stuart Spencer and San Francisco Wine School’s MS David Glancy. During their talk, attendees sampled a Kerner from Markus Wine Co, which had a fun story behind it. Winemaker Markus Niggli found these grapes in the unusual vineyards of Mokelumne Glen, farmed by the late Bob Koth. Koth, inspired by a Riesling he drank on a trip to Germany in the late 1980’s, came home determined to grow these German and Austrian wine grapes in his own backyard. He succeeded with 51 different varieties and clones, encouraging Lodi, already the epicenter of old vines and diverse winegrapes, to explore other varietals besides their iconic Zinfandel. Today Lodi is home to over 130 wine grape varieties, with unlimited possibilities, a giant laboratory where winemakers are free to experiment and tinker with what works and what sells. Case in point, the Anaya Carbonic Tempranillo was also poured, and what a fascinating, spritzy, chillable red wine! Perfect for summer and just plain delicious, this wine is a great example of “drinking different”.

Rebekah Wineburg of Post and Vine, her Mule Plane Carignan is so delicious!

(L-R) Patricia Decker with owner/winemaker Pam Starr of Crocker & Starr Winery, her Cabernet Franc blend is divine!

So many wines and so little time, even though the festival lasted several hours, it’s something that you will want to return to each year, or travel to these regions, to experience. What was very different than most wine tasting events is the ability to purchase the wines that you liked, mixing wines from separate producers in any quantity that you wanted, and a perk, they are delivered to your door, free with a case purchase. Also, the Festival rewarded VIP ticket holders with a lunch ticket, festival t-shirt and a goodie bag with discount coupons for various wine tasting experiences throughout the year.

Stuart Spencer with his St. Amant wines

Keep an eye out for next year’s fourth incarnation, and in the meantime, live the festival’s motto “Be Bold. Drink Different. Taste Original.”

Festival of Undiscovered Grapes, https://festivalofundiscoveredgrapes.com/
Lodi Winegrape Commission, https://www.lodiwine.com/