Seeing Red Wine Festival Celebrates 29 Years in Seaside Nov 7-10

Celebrating its 29th anniversary, Seeing Red Wine Festival in Seaside brings four days of wine and culinary events to South Walton for a timeless tradition November 7-10, 2019. 

Tickets available online at seeingredwinefestival.com >

Festival goers will be treated to an unforgettable experience reminiscent of the festival’s earlier years. Focusing more on a boutique style festival, with more interaction with winemakers and chefs, the weekend features a carefully curated selection of wines paired with Gulf Coast cuisine from Seaside eateries.

“As we saw the festival grow, both in quantity of tickets and wines, we felt like the event was getting further and further away from the original spirit when the Davises and Dave Rauschkolb held the first one decades ago,” says Events Director Kevin Boyle. “We wanted to bring the focus back to wine and the guest experience. So we decreased the total amount of tickets sold and worked very closely with our distributor partners to create a list of wines that folks would love.”

Paired with that curated wine list are winery owners, winemakers, estate directors, national sales managers and other VIP partners.

"The goal is for there to be a genuine connection between the guest, the wine and someone who has a lot of knowledge of that wine,” Boyle adds.

Forbes Contributor and Wine Enthusiast Travel Editor Lauren Mowery recently named the Seeing Red Wine Festival as One Of The Best Under-The-Radar Wine & Food Festivals from around the country. The festival has also been recognized as one of the Top 10 Can’t-Miss Fall Wine Festivals by Fodor’s Travel.

Seeing Red Wine Festival is a four-day festival in the town of Seaside. Events include: Wine Dinner at Bud & Alley's Restaurant on Thursday night, Al Fresco Reserve  Wine Tasting at Ruskin Place Friday night, Grand Tasting throughout Seaside Saturday afternoon, and a Celebration of Bubbles Brunch at Ruskin Place. Festival goers will enjoy a long weekend filled with quality wines for tasting, signature foods chosen by Seaside’s chefs, and live music in a beautiful setting on the Gulf of Mexico. Festival goers and the general public will have an opportunity to purchase wines on site.

Bud & Alley's Vintner Dinner  
Thursday, Nov. 7 | 6:30 p. m. - 9:30 p.m.
Seeing Red festivities kick off Thursday, Nov. 7, at 6:30 p.m. with the Vintner’s Dinner at Bud & Alley’s restaurant featuring King Estate Winery. To reserve tickets, call (850) 231-1846 or email michael@budandalleys.com. Read about the wine dinner menu and featured wines in our SoWal.com feature story. 

Al Fresco Reserve Wine Tasting
Friday, Nov. 8 | 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.Friday
Friday's Al Fresco Reserve Wine Tasting takes place in Ruskin Place. An elegant evening showcasing a carefully curated selection of reserve wines, featuring exclusive vintages. Winemakers and other vintner VIPs will be pouring these amazing wines. An array of hors d’oeuvres prepared by Chef Jim Shirley’s culinary team will pair perfectly with the featured wines. Enjoy live music under the stars on a beautiful fall evening in Ruskin Place.

Grand Tasting  
Saturday, Nov. 9 | 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Saturday’s Grand Tasting takes over Downtown Seaside and Ruskin Place. With more than 130 quality wines for tasting curated by Seaside’s own restaurants and eateries, guests can enjoy hand-selected food offerings chosen by Seaside’s popular and well-known local chefs, as well as live music and the opportunity to purchase wines on site. VIP Attendees will have access to the VIP Tent starting at 12:30 p.m. General admission tickets available at seeingredwinefestival.com. 

Celebration of Bubbles 
Sunday, November 10 | 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Sunday wraps up the weekend with a Celebration of Bubbles Brunch in Ruskin Place, as sparkling wine enthusiasts explore Champagne, Cava, Prosecco and more, alongside a perfectly paired menu by Chef Jim Shirley. 

TICKETS
Each year has been a sell-out event, and this year will be no exception. Tickets are limited. Visit seeingredwinefestival.com. 

ACCOMMODATIONS
Special lodging packages are available through the Seaside Visitors Bureau partners Cottage Rental Agency, Homeowner’s Collection and Sunburst Beach Vacations. Visit seeingredwinefestival.com and click on accommodations.

PARK & RIDE
Guests can take shuttles to and from Seaside for the event. The Seeing Red Wine Festival is offering complimentary shuttles at the County Public Lot on CR 283 in Grayton Beach. Shuttles will run continuously allowing guests the opportunity to arrive early, stroll through Seaside and stay late for dinner following the event.

To learn more or to purchase tickets to the 29th Annual Seeing Red Wine Festival, visit seeingredwinefestival.com. For information about Seaside, visit seasidefl.com.