Wine Festivals in October 2026

Every October, the hilltop medieval town of Motovun in Istria celebrates two of the world's great luxury ingredients together: Teran red wine and white truffles. The festival combines guided truffle hunts in the Motovun Forest (the world's densest white truffle habitat), competitive winemaker tastings, and a 11km recreational hike through the vine-covered Istrian hills. A uniquely Istrian experience that no other wine region can replicate.

Burgundy's grandest evening tasting, held annually in Beaune, where producers from across the Côte d'Or present their Grand Cru and Premier Cru wines. The event brings together Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Leroy, Rousseau, and other legendary estates in a single evening session — an almost unparalleled tasting opportunity.

A week-long celebration of wine across Paris's bars, restaurants, and wine shops, with over 150 participating venues offering special tastings, wine dinners, and producer events. Unlike a traditional wine fair, Paris Wine Week brings wine directly into neighbourhood wine bars, with a focus on natural and artisan producers.

Ribeauvillé's annual new wine celebration in the heart of the Alsace Route des Vins. The medieval market town opens its cellars and sets up tasting stands along its cobbled streets, pouring the year's first Rieslings, Pinot Blancs, and Muscat. A genuine local festival with a free wine fountain as the centrepiece.

The Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin's prestigious annual tasting competition and banquet at the historic Château du Clos de Vougeot. Around 700 Burgundy wines are evaluated against strict quality criteria. The black-tie Saturday banquet in the château's medieval cellar is one of the great wine world social events.

The historic town of Tokaj celebrates the harvest of its legendary sweet wine grapes with a weekend of folk music, traditional grape-treading, open cellars, and a harvest parade. Tokaji Aszú, once called 'the wine of kings,' is the star, alongside dry Furmint wines that are rapidly gaining international acclaim.

Hungary's premier red wine harvest celebration fills the village of Villány every first October weekend with a grand harvest procession, horseback riders, carriages, folk music, and the region's powerful Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Portugieser. Three festival venues (Rendezvénytér, Borudvar, Diófás tér) offer cellar tours and tastings from Villány's internationally acclaimed producers. The Saturday procession down the main street is one of Hungary's great folk spectacles.

While primarily a truffle fair, Alba's iconic autumn market is inseparable from Piedmont wine culture. Barolo, Barbaresco, Dolcetto, and Barbera tastings accompany the white truffle auction and market. Running since 1929, it draws chefs, foodies, and wine lovers from around the world to the Langhe hills.

The annual preview week of Barolo, Barbaresco, Roero DOCG, and Langhe Nebbiolo wines in Alba, coordinated by ALBEISA (the Piedmont wine producers' association). Winemakers present their new releases to international press and trade before public release — the most concentrated Nebbiolo tasting event in the world.

One of Tuscany's oldest and most spectacular harvest festivals, running in the hilltop town of Impruneta since 1926. Four contrade (neighbourhoods) compete with elaborately decorated floats celebrating the grape harvest, in a tradition predating the modern wine industry. The festival combines pageantry, grape treading, and tastings of Chianti Colli Fiorentini.

Moldova's biggest annual celebration of its winemaking heritage takes over central Chișinău for two days. Over 70 wineries set up tasting pavilions, with folk music, traditional food, and grape-treading contests. The event highlights Moldova's 5,000-year winemaking tradition and its massive underground cellars at Mileștii Mici and Cricova.

Moldova's National Wine Day — held annually on the first weekend of October in Chișinău's vast Great National Assembly Square — is the biggest wine event in Eastern Europe, gathering 100+ wineries and up to 120,000 visitors over two days. Moldova has one of the world's highest per-capita vineyard areas, and this festival is the moment the country opens its cellars to the world. Wine School masterclasses, qvevri (clay amphora) tastings, and Feteasca Neagra discovery sessions make it unmissable for serious wine explorers.

Romania's most prestigious red wine region celebrates its harvest with open-cellar weekends across wineries in Dealu Mare. Producers like SERVE, Budureasca, and Lacerta open their doors for vertical tastings, vineyard tours, and pairing dinners. The rolling hills of Muntenia provide a stunning backdrop for this emerging wine tourism destination.

The capital of Cava country celebrates its sparkling wine heritage with a weekend of tastings, vineyard tours, food pairings, and live music. Over 30 Cava houses open their doors, and the town's main square becomes an open-air tasting room. The best place to discover artisan Cava from small producers.

The world's most original wine fair: 11 lake steamers moored at Zurich's Bürkliplatz serve as floating tasting halls where 160 exhibitors pour 4,000+ wines from 30 countries. Now in its 70th year, Expovina is both a trade event and a major public festival — evening sessions are particularly festive as the ships light up on Lake Zurich. The Club Ship adds a VIP dimension with exclusive masterclasses and private winemaker dinners.

Western Canada's largest wine celebration transforms the Okanagan Valley into a 10-day tasting extravaganza. Over 170 events across 100+ wineries include vineyard dinners, grape stomps, barrel tastings, and the famous Burrowing Owl concert. The harvest-season timing means freshly crushed juice is flowing alongside finished wines.

Set in the heart of Texas Hill Country wine country, this October festival is Fredericksburg's premier food and wine event, spotlighting 75+ Texas wineries, chefs, distilleries, and breweries at the Marktplatz on Main Street. The Grand Tasting features unlimited samples, live cooking demos, an artisan market, and immersive activations — all within walking distance of the town's historic German-heritage downtown and tasting rooms. It anchors a full 'Preview Week' of intimate dinners, masterclasses, and winery events throughout July.

Every weekend in October, the Missouri River town of Hermann — home to the Hermann AVA and six established wineries — transforms into a month-long celebration of its German heritage, with wine, beer, food, and live music flowing through the historic stone downtown. Wineries along the Hermann Wine Trail host dedicated tasting events, live concerts, and seasonal pairings, while the town's brat stands, craft breweries, and artisan shops create an authentic small-town festival atmosphere amid brilliant fall foliage. It is the Midwest's most atmospheric wine-harvest celebration.

The 15th Annual Hawaii Food & Wine Festival spans three islands and three weekends each October-November, celebrating Hawaiian culinary traditions and Pacific Rim cuisine alongside wines from around the world. Events rotate across the Big Island, Maui (Kaanapali), and Oahu (Honolulu), including signature galas such as Washoku to the World at Halekulani, celebrity chef collaborations, and the flagship Decanted tasting at the Hawaii Convention Center. Roy Yamaguchi and Alan Wong anchor a roster that bridges Hawaii's top chefs with international culinary stars.

NYC's premier five-day culinary extravaganza featuring 50+ events including walk-around tastings, intimate chef dinners, master classes, and FoodieCon. Set against the backdrop of the historic Seaport in Lower Manhattan, it draws world-renowned chefs, Food Network stars, and top sommeliers. One of the most celebrated destination food-and-wine events in North America.

All of October becomes wine country festival season in Paso Robles, with the featured Harvest Weekend (third weekend of October) anchoring month-long events at 200+ wineries. Grape stomps, vineyard tours, barrel tastings, and winemaker dinners happen across the rolling hills at their most golden. The decentralized format means fewer crowds and more genuine access to producers.

The Elgin Valley — South Africa's coolest wine region, known for Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay — hosts an October festival combining its wines with the region's apple, pear, and berry harvest. Set 500m above sea level in mountain valley country an hour from Cape Town, Elgin's producers (Paul Cluver, Oak Valley, Shannon Vineyards) offer a distinctly different character from Stellenbosch.

The whale-watching capital of South Africa combines two of its great attractions — marine wildlife and Walker Bay wines — in an October festival that coincides with peak whale season. Southern right whales breach just offshore as visitors taste wines from Hemel-en-Aarde Valley producers including Hamilton Russell, Bouchard Finlayson, and Newton Johnson. A uniquely spectacular dual experience.

The world's most prestigious truffle market held every weekend in October-November in Alba. White Alba truffles (Tuber magnatum pico) auctioned and sold alongside Barolo and Barbaresco from 50+ producers; truffle hunters, cooking demos, wine pairings. Running since 1929, it draws chefs, sommeliers, and food lovers from across the world to the Langhe hills.