Wine Festivals in April 2026

A five-day celebration pairing Wachau wines with international guest chefs in the UNESCO-listed Danube valley. Events take place at vineyards, historic abbeys, and restaurants along the Wachau, with Grüner Veltliner and Riesling the stars. The festival combines Austrian culinary precision with breathtaking Danube scenery.

The world's most anticipated annual wine event: Bordeaux opens its châteaux each April for trade and press to taste the previous year's vintage still in barrel. While access is strictly controlled for professionals, the week transforms Bordeaux into an extraordinary hub of wine world activity, and satellite consumer tastings are publicly accessible.

An annual gathering of Etna wine producers in the medieval hilltop town of Castiglione di Sicilia. Vignerons present wines organised by contrada (vineyard district), allowing tasters to explore the extraordinary terroir diversity of Mount Etna's volcanic slopes. A serious, producer-driven event.

The world's largest wine trade fair, held annually at Verona's Fiera since 1967. Over 4,000 exhibitors from across Italy and 30+ countries pour for 100,000+ visitors across four days. Vinitaly is where Italian wine business gets done, but the surrounding OperaWine and Vinitaly and the City events open to the public.

On the Karst plateau above Trieste, this festival celebrates Teran — the intensely coloured, iron-rich red wine unique to the Slovenian Karst region. Winemakers pair Teran with local pršut (dry-cured ham), sheep's cheese, and štrukli. The festival is held in traditional stone-built villages with stunning Adriatic views and is a pilgrimage for fans of this distinctive grape.

A beloved three-day immersion into one of California's greatest Zinfandel appellations, where 50+ wineries open their doors with food pairings, barrel tastings, and direct access to winemakers and founders. Now in its 35th year, the event has a loyal following and offers remarkable value — three days exploring a coherent, world-class wine region with no single large-venue crowds. The Dry Creek Valley scenery in late April is stunning.

One of America's most glamorous food and wine weekends, Pebble Beach Food & Wine takes place each April at The Inn at Spanish Bay along the Monterey Peninsula — setting 135+ acclaimed chefs and 150+ world-renowned wine producers against the Pacific Ocean backdrop. The 2025 lineup featured Alice Waters, Nancy Silverton, and a roster of Michelin-starred talent, while tasting pavilion access and the Walk-Around Package make it more accessible than its luxury reputation suggests. Wine country road trip potential is high: Carmel Valley and Monterey are minutes away.

Mendoza's annual open-cellar event where 80+ wineries across Maipú, Luján de Cuyo, and the Uco Valley open their doors for special tastings, asado barbecues, and live music. Winery-to-winery transport is organised, making it easy to explore multiple bodegas in a single day. Malbec takes centre stage.

Mendoza's annual open-cellar event where 80+ wineries across Maipú, Luján de Cuyo, and the Uco Valley open their doors for special tastings, asado barbecues, and live music. Winery-to-winery transport is organised, making it easy to explore multiple bodegas in a single day. Malbec takes centre stage with reserve pours not normally available to visitors.

The frontier wine regions of Río Negro and Neuquén celebrate their Malbec, Pinot Noir, and Torrontés at a growing winter harvest festival in the Patagonian steppe. Held across bodegas in San Patricio del Chañar and Neuquén, the event combines wine tasting with spectacular Andean desert landscapes and glacial river scenery impossible to find anywhere else in the wine world.

Casablanca Valley's harvest festival celebrates Chile's premier cool-climate wine region. Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir take centre stage, alongside artisan food producers and live music. Located halfway between Santiago and Valparaíso, the festival is easily combined with a visit to either city.

Adelaide's biennial celebration of Australian food and wine brings together the nation's top producers and chefs for a week of events spanning the city and surrounding wine regions. The open-air festival hub in Victoria Square hosts free tastings, while ticketed events cover everything from a Barossa sunrise breakfast to a Coonawarra masterclass. Australia's most ambitious culinary festival.

Australia's longest-running wine festival, held biennially since 1947. A week of vineyard events, open cellar tastings, food experiences, and community celebrations across the Barossa Valley. The festival preserves the valley's German-Silesian heritage with traditional foods, brass bands, and barrel-rolling competitions.

Annual spring wine fair in the medieval streets of Alba celebrating Barolo, Barbaresco, Dolcetto, Barbera, Arneis, and all Piedmontese appellations. Over 200 producers pour in the historic Alba centre across a week of tastings, masterclasses, food markets, and cellar open days.