If there is a single season that defines Valle de Guadalupe, it is the harvest — la vendimia — and the festival that grew up around it. For more than thirty-five years, from late July through August, the valley marks the grape harvest with weeks of tastings, dinners, concerts and long, joyful lunches.
What happens
The Fiestas de la Vendimia are less one event than dozens. Individual wineries host their own harvest dinners and parties; there are gastronomic evenings with the valley's best kitchens, outdoor concerts, and the famous paella competition. The flagship tastings pour scores of wines organized by grape rather than by winery — a rare chance to taste the whole valley in an afternoon.
How to do it well
Harvest is the busiest, most beautiful, most booked-out time of year. If you are coming for it, plan early — the best dinners sell out and the valley fills. Pace yourself; the season is a marathon, not a sprint. And keep a night or two entirely free to stay on the hill, watch the harvest light fade, and do nothing at all.
The concierge follows the calendar as it is released each year and can build your dates around the events worth catching. Ask us what is on while you are here.