California Wine Festival – Sunset Rare & Reserve Tasting

California Wine Festival – Sunset Rare & Reserve Tasting is a grand tasting wine event held annually in Dana Point, California — a limited-ticket evening featuring hard-to-find trophy wines at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Hotel & Spa. Scheduled for Friday, April 24, 2026 from 6:30 to 9 p.m., the event takes place outdoors on the Del Mar Lawn and is part of the broader California Wine Festival Orange County weekend, which also includes a Beachside Wine Festival on April 25. Ticket prices had not been announced at time of publication, though the event is expected to sell out.

The Sunset Rare & Reserve Tasting is designed as an elevated evening session distinct from the main weekend festival. According to the organizers, the event focuses on rare and hard-to-find wines and draws a limited number of attendees — a deliberate cap tied to the rarity of the wines being poured. A champagne reception opens the evening, followed by sampling of trophy-level wines. The outdoor Del Mar Lawn setting at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Hotel & Spa places guests along the Orange County coast in Dana Point, one of Southern California's established coastal resort destinations. Proceeds from the auction at California Wine Festival Dana Point benefit Sandy Feet Initiative.

Buying tickets in advance is strongly recommended — the organizers state that a sellout is expected and that tickets will likely not be available at the gate. Advance purchases also save attendees $10 to $20 per ticket compared to gate pricing at other California Wine Festival events. Tickets are transferable but not refundable. Valet parking is available at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Hotel & Spa on Friday, April 24 for $20. The event is 21 and older, strictly enforced by the California Alcohol Beverage Control. Bags are searched at entry and are restricted to small purses, totes, and drawstring bags — backpacks are prohibited.

Dana Point sits within Orange County's coastal zone, south of Los Angeles and adjacent to the broader Southern California wine country corridor. While not an AVA itself, the event draws from California's finest vintage wine producers statewide. The California Wine Festival has been voted among the top wine festivals in the country, according to the organizer's own materials, and the Dana Point stop anchors its annual three-city tour that also includes Santa Barbara in July and Huntington Beach in October.