Big Sur Food and Wine Grand Public Tasting 2014

On Saturday November 7th we were promised 50+ wineries and over 20 chefs at the Pfeiffer State Park in the majestic Big Sur for the 6th annual Big Sur Food and Wine Festival. With our personal invites most likely lost in the mail we had to purchase our own tickets. With a lot of the events sold out a decision was made to go to the Grand Public Tasting and Silent Auction and as a shift from our normal mode of transportation get a couple tickets on the shuttle bus from Carmel Rancho.

Come to find out the shuttle was to leave at 11am. We had no idea and re looked at all our correspondence, tickets and emails and found no reference to this. We had planned to be there at 11 but extremely heavy traffic on Hwy 1 made us 15 min late. Luckily we were not too late and there were others that were later. We left at 11:30 and arrived 10min after 12 but the entry line was almost gone and we were whisked right in. It wa a comfortable ride with some spectacular views of the spectacular Big Sur Coast.

Upon entry we were given a glass and a program that listed what we were at and all the things we missed. Maybe next year. It was a lovely warm day that was just perfect for tasting wine and food in a spectacular setting amongst the redwoods and sycamores.

So first off were there 50+ wineries? Maybe... Started to count but decided to taste instead. There were a lot and probably close enough that no one should care. Not sure there were 20 chefs and there was a line for food most of the afternoon.

At least at the good stuff as long as it lasted. The crowd was what you would expect but never too crowded and with few exceptions no more than a few seconds wait for a taste, although for the ribs it was a good five minutes.

There were top notch wines from Napa, Santa Barbara and Paso Robles as well as Monterey. A solid collection of wines for the novice to the experienced. A little odd tasting to the sounds of Brazilian carnival beats from Samba Le'Gal but all in all a crackin day that we quite enjoyed and gives us reason to probably attend again next year.

The bus ride back to Carmel was a bit on the fraternity side, with two stops for young ladies (using that term to avoid using the one we want) to pee on the side of the road and two for one of those and a couple others to vie for chunder champ of the trip. We will probably look for a more private mode of transportation next year. Just saying...

From what we gathered from some folks we talked to the other events all seemed to be very much enjoyed, and so next year we will be looking to expand our presence and tell you more about more of this event. For the event we attended this year we would 'recommend' you go next time and check it out.

Happy Wine Adventures,

Cheers,

WineWalkabout

Kiwi & Koala