All photos by Miles Marshall for the LA Beat.
LA Winefest has grown into one of the best local events for folks who want to get a taste of everything. The festivities have moved across the street from their usual location at Sunset and Bronson, but featured the usual generous array of vintners from far and near, along with a handful of breweries, a decent live band, and a number of the city’s best food trucks.
But of course it’s the wines that bring folks out to a wine fest, and these flowed in abundance. Navarro Vineyards’ Gewurztraminer was our favorite taste of the day, marvelously smooth and cool with an ethereal fruit finish. Wedell Cellars from the Central Coast impressed with its selection of pinot noirs, strong, undiluted flavors in a fairly light-bodied beverage. One of our favorite booths was the one from the LA International Wine Competition, pouring a few of the lesser-known award winners. And on a boiling hot day, in the midst of sampling a bunch of intense red wines, a glass of New Age sangria on ice was the day’s most unexpectedly welcome offering, and the thing I’ll be looking for at my own liquor store.
One feature of Winefest in its old location, held as it was in the courtyards between studio buildings, was the occasional log-jam in the alleys, in which your neighbors’ various appendages regularly invaded your space. In its new venue, the layout is more compact, yet better-organized, resulting in a pretty smooth festival experience with a bit less up-close-and-personal action with fellow festivalgoers. There were enough good choices of food truck that lines never seemed excessive for any of them. I finally got to sample Kogi without having to wait all day, and it was really good. LA Winefest remains a connoisseur’s best friend.
(Photo gallery following the jump.)
