You've seen me write about the Festival of Undiscovered Grapes over the past few weeks. 60+ Wineries, all are boutique small producers, and they come from some of California's best wine regions. Case in point, Paso Robles - one of my absolute favorite wine regions. Paso wineries in attendance include Absolution Cellars, Alta Colina, Brecon Estate, Derby, Giornata, McPrice Myers, Tablas Creek, and many more!...
Bay Area foodie friends, today, I get to share with you a new wine festival coming to San Jose! The Festival of Undiscovered Grapes (FOUG) has expanded to Northern California after two years of success in Los Angeles. One of my wine friends co-runs this festival and I love the concept! Why? Because as an average consumer with a special interest in wine, I relish hearing about new-to-me grape varieties. The first few years of wine exploration introduce folks to merlot, zinfandel, chardonnay, and the handful more grapes that most vineyards devote their plantings to and most consumers drink. But I quickly found myself intrigued by the unfamiliar grapes in a blend, the ones that add smoothness or boost the floral notes but rarely get their own time in the spotlight....
One exciting event called starting out the year is "The Festival of Undiscovered Grapes" that will be held in San Jose on Saturday, January 31st. The event will take place at the Rotary Summit Center, 88 South 4th Street. The event will feature 60+ producers and more than 100 unique wines. Think of 2026 the year of discovery tasting wine varieties you may not be too familiar with such as Teroldego, Cinsault, Marsanne, Semillon and many more. While California grows more than 100 grape varieties, only 9 account for 93% of the "standard wine choices"....
Life is simply far too short to drink Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Gris, and the other such "usual suspects" all the time. The beauty of the wine world can be found (to a large degree) in its staggering diversity of grape varieties, each offering its own unique flavor and aromatic profile. Which is where the Festival of Undiscovered Grapes comes in....
After a name change from the Festival of Forgotten Grapes and launching last year in LA, this new wine festival is growing and adding an additional, new venue in San Jose. It's also been renamed Festival of Undiscovered Grapes....
Speaking of oddball grape varieties, my wine colleague Allison Levine has organized a festival to give wine lovers access to flavors beyond the usual. The Festival of Undiscovered Grapes, to be held for the first time in the Bay Area, will take place Saturday, Jan. 31, at the Rotary Summit Center in San Jose, on the seventh floor of 88 S. Fourth St. Over 60 wineries will pour oddballs like valdiguie, carignane, ruche, cinsault and gamay noir....
Nine varieties make up 93% of the total wine-grape plantings in California. and wine drinkers can probably name them all easily. But what about the other 7%? More than 100 varieties comprise that group — and those are the wines that industry expert Allison Levine sought to highlight when she created the Festival of Undiscovered Grapes two years ago in Los Angeles. The festival will come to the Bay Area for the first time Saturday, Jan. 31, with tastings from noon to 5 p.m. at the Rotary Summit Center in downtown San Jose. This year's Southern California event is scheduled for March 28 at Mica Studios in Los Angeles. "These wines aren't just relics of the past. They are vibrant, relevant and full of potential," Levine said in announcing the San Jose festival. "Our goal is to introduce people to what's possible beyond the usual handful of California varieties." More than 65 wineries will be pouring such rare varieties as Aligote (Terah Wine Co.), Clairette Blanche (Absolution Cellars), Teroldego (Ridge Vineyards), "Kid Sister" Zweigelt (Trail Marker Wine Co.), Vaccarese (Tablas Creek Vineyard), Touriga Nacional (Alamitos Vineyards) and dozens of others. General admission tickets, $75, include a three-hour tasting from 2...
Attended Saturday, January 31st, the Festival of Undiscovered Grapes in San Jose. This was their inaugural event in Northern California, and it was a smashing success with approximately 400 attendees. The event featured the "other 7%" of grapes produced rather than the pedestrian 93% which consumers regularly purchase, i.e., Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc. Instead, this event provided consumers with the opportunity to taste wines such as Teroldego, Cinsault, Marsanne, Cabernet Pfeffer, etc. It was a great experience to meet "new friends" both in person and the new liquid ones!...
With 66 wineries and hundreds of wines to try, the inaugural Festival of Undiscovered Grapes, held at the Rotary Center in downtown San Jose, was abuzz with energy and variety. Attended by almost 400 eager wine explorers, it was almost overwhelming in scope. The well-produced program depicted each participant along with their stories, and there was a small VIP Passport booklet, filled with complimentary tasting offers. Organizer, Allison Levine, produced a rather hefty order sheet that listed the wines being poured, all of which were available for purchase." Laura Ness...
It's still very early in the year, but I'll go out on a limb and say that this will be one of my favorite wine tasting events of 2026. There certainly won't be anywhere else that I'll be able to taste California wines made from Prieto Picudo, Terret Noir, Arinto, St. Laurent, and Xarel•lo all in one afternoon! There we so many terrific wines from varieties that are not widely-planted in California, made by producers from all over the state. The Festival of Undiscovered Grapes will be coming to Los Angeles in late March, so if you didn't make to the tasting in San Jose, don't miss the one in LA. From what I've heard, the San Jose event was a big success, so I expect that it will be back again next year – I'm already looking forward to it!...
